Headline

PDP Boils Again!

Published

9 months ago

October 5, 2025

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

The more the embattled main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) attempt to find a solution to its myriad of internal changes, the more they plunge deeper into crisis.

With weeks to the much advertised November convention, all seems not to be well with the once biggest party in Africa as the crisis is presently pitched between two of the most important officers of the party; the Chairman, Alhaji Umar Iliya Demagum and the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu. Both are locked in supremacy battle.

Recall that not long ago, the party made some consessions in a bid to end its long drawn crises, a fallout of the 2023 election loss, reconcile and encourage everyone to shealth their swords. Consequently, Demagum was made the substantive chairman while Senator Anyanwu was recognized as the authentic Secretary. The party concluded the rebranding moves by zoning the 2027 presidential slot to the south, prompting the likes of Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, to abandon his presidential ambition.

The party got enmeshed in troubled waters when it replaced Anyanwu as a result of his involvement in the Imo gubernatorial election, claiming that his duties were neglected. But Anyanwu had insisted on returning to his position after the failed effort to be Imo governor. But the party had refused before peace was brokered, creating a room for him to return as secretary, aided by the former governor of Rivers State, who is now as Federal Capital Territory minister, Nyesom Wike.

But a fresh crisis suddenly raised its head to return the party to a path they seem to have left. It was the Akwa-Ibom question.

The fresh crisis began when the Party dissolved the Akwa Ibom State Executive Committee and approved caretaker committees to run the affairs of both its Akwa Ibom and Cross River state chapters, in a major shake-up of the party’s structures in the South-South.

This was announced in a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, on behalf of the National Working Committee (NWC).

Ologunagba insisted that the decisions were taken pursuant to the powers conferred on the NWC under the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017).

“The National Working Committee (NWC) of our great Party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has at its meeting today, Tuesday, September 30th, 2025, pursuant to its powers under the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017) approved the dissolution of the Akwa State Executive of the Party,” Ologunagba said.

The statement informed that for the Akwa Ibom branch, the NWC approved a 31-member caretaker committee to oversee the party’s affairs for a period not exceeding three months, or until new elections are held.

The committee is chaired by Igwat Umoren, with Harrison Ekpo as deputy chairman and Borono Bassey as secretary. Other key officers named include Bar. Ewa Okpo as publicity secretary, Emman Mbong as organizing secretary, Hon. Aniekan Asuquo as youth leader, Mary Silvia Abara as woman leader, and Barr. Enoch Enoch as legal adviser.

In the Cross River axis, the NWC said the decision followed the expiration of the four-year tenure of the state executive.

An 18-member caretaker committee, led by Rt. Hon. Bassey Eko Ewa as chairman and Dr. Bassey Joseph Adim as secretary, will assume control of the chapter with effect from October 1, 2025, for a similar three-month period.

“The Caretaker Committee is to manage the affairs of the Party in Cross River State from Wednesday, October 1st, 2025 for a period not exceeding 3 months, or until such a time a new State Executive Committee will be elected in the State,” Ologunagba said.

But Anyanwu, in a swift reaction, countered Ologunagba’s statement, dismissing it as “null and void,” insisting the National Working Committee (NWC) never approved such action, but the party through Ologunagba said otherwise. It is important to note that Ologunagba acted on behalf of the NWC, which the Chairman, Demagum heads. Anyanwu’s rejection of the action is deemed as a challenge to the authority of the party chairman.

In a statement, the PDP National Secretary noted as follows:

“My attention has been drawn to the purported press release by the National Publicity Secretary of our party announcing the dissolution of the State Working Committee of Akwa Ibom State.

“For purposes of clarity, that press release should be discountenanced because there was no formal sitting of the National Working Committee in which such decision was taken.

“It is not in the official capacity and duties of the National Publicity Secretary to take actions relating to the implementation of the decisions of the National Working Committee of our great party. As a result, the purported press release is null and void and of no effect. The state working committee of the PDP Akwa Ibom State stands undissolved.

“Please consider this letter as the rightful authority for you to continue in your duties as provided in the PDP Constitution 2017 as amended.”

Supporting the position of the national secretary, the removed Akwa Ibom chairman, Elder Aniekan Akpan, after an emergency meeting of the state executive committee in Uyo, declared that he remained the authentic state chairman.

Addressing the press, he urged party members and the public to disregard the dissolution notice, insisting the NWC had not properly sat to make such a decision.

To further contradict the stand of the NWC, one of the elected state exco members listed in the caretaker committee, Ekpong Edem, also rejected his inclusion, describing the new committee as “illegal.”

Edem pledged loyalty to the Akpan-led executive where he currently serves as Senatorial Vice Chairman.

At the end of its meeting, the state executive committee passed a vote of confidence in Akpan, further deepening the rift over the disputed dissolution, and creating wilder gulf between Demagum and Anyanwu.

But reacting, the party came down heavily on members, cautioning them against divided loyalty ahead of its much-publicised national convention.

At an interactive session held in Abuja, Hon Ologunagba, restated that the party’s constitution forbids dual party membership and unauthorised actions capable of undermining internal cohesion within its rank. He denied speculation of internal conflict ahead of the convention slated for the15–16 November 2025, PDP cautioned members from Akwa-Ibom state, where conflicting statements from the party hierarchy over the dissolution of the state chapter has continued to surface in the media.

Ologunagba noted that “Our constitution does not allow anyone to belong to two parties at once, and we will not tolerate actions that undermine unity.

“What some see as conflict is, in fact, democracy in action. The national chairman provides overall leadership and can summon meetings, while the national secretary carries out administrative duties. The secretary cannot unilaterally call meetings or release statements without approval,” he said.

Citing Section 35 of the PDP Constitution (2017 as amended), which outlines the functions of the National Chairman, the spokesman stated further: “There shall be a National Chairman who shall be the chief executive of the Party and his functions shall be:

“35 (1) (a) summon and preside over the meetings of the National Convention, the National Executive Committee, the National Caucus and the National Working Committee of the Party;

“35 (1) (d) assign specific functions to any member or officer of the Party.”

Meanwhile, the PDP has played down the crisis, insisting that the scenario was just a misunderstanding of roles within the party.

Ologunagba, in another statement, explained that there is no leadership tussle, adding that the duties of Anyanwu, are limited to handling minor administrative issues such as diesel supply and parking space allocation at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

Ologunagba said recent media reports suggesting a rift among party leaders are exaggerated and do not reflect the true situation. According to him, the PDP remains united and focused on repositioning itself ahead of future elections.

Ologunagba explained that the situation, being described as a crisis, was merely a misunderstanding about who is responsible for what in the day-to-day running of the party. He said some people may have misinterpreted normal administrative functions as a power struggle.

“There is no crisis in our great party. What we have is a simple issue of clarification about who performs certain administrative roles,” he said. “Senator Anyanwu’s functions have been clearly defined. He is only to oversee logistical issues like diesel supply and parking arrangements within the party secretariat. There is no confusion about that.”

Ologunagba accused some media outlets of sensationalising routine party matters, saying that journalists should be more careful when reporting internal issues. “Some reports have blown things out of proportion. The PDP is not at war with itself,” he said. “The so-called crisis is simply an administrative adjustment which happens in every organisation. We are united, strong, and ready to serve Nigerians better.”

The PDP spokesperson also accused rival parties of sponsoring misleading stories to create the impression that the PDP is in disarray. He claimed that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is particularly threatened by the renewed unity within the PDP, especially as the opposition begins consultations ahead of the next general election.

“The APC knows that the PDP is their only real competition,” Ologunagba said. “That is why they are trying to plant stories about imaginary crises. Nigerians are wiser now; they know who truly represents their interests.”

Ologunagba also alleged that the dissolved executives were under the influence of Pastor Umo Eno, the governor of Akwa Ibom, who had defected from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“In Akwa Ibom state, the governor has left. At both the national working committee and party level, there seems to be no distinction between the state executives and their alignment with the All Progressives Congress, APC,” he said.

“Section 10, sub-section 6 of the party constitution states, ‘No member of the party shall align with other parties or groups to undermine the party or any of its selected governments. Belonging to two parties is an anathema.’

“We believe the Akwa Ibom executives are controlled by the governor who joined the APC. He openly said on tape that he would oversee both parties, which is unacceptable and undermines the PDP.”

For more than two decades, the PDP has dominated Akwa Ibom politics, but it lost control in June after the governor defected to the APC.

Eno became the second PDP governor in the south-south region, after Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta, to defect to the APC within two months, raising concerns about party cohesion.

Four months after his defection, the PDP dissolved its state executives in Akwa Ibom to “restore order, reassert control, and prevent further erosion of its structure” in the state.

For a while now, the PDP has struggled to revalidate itself with mass defections depleting its workforce and membership. In recent times, majority of its high ranking members including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, had left to form a coalition under the umbrella of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

How PDP can snap out of its present quagmire to present a formidable opposition against the ruling APC still remains to be seen, but time will tell.

Headline

Parties’ Deregistration: ADC, Not NDC, is the Target

Published

1 day ago

June 29, 2026

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

As the 2027 presidential election draws closer, intrigues, manipulations and maneuvers have continued to be the order of the day as political parties engage in one gimmick or another to outdo and undo one another.

While some are playing politics of numbers and conviction, others are engaging tendencies that tend to question the status quo and established principles under which genuine democracy is formed. As a matter of fact, fingers have been pointed at the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal government as the brain behind all machinations that have attempted to derail multi-party democracy, and institute a one-party state, which is alien to the Nigerian democratic roots. This is as a result of the constant imbroglio that has consistently engulf almost all the major political parties in the country.

Fresh facts have however, emerged to prove that every act of frustration thrown at the opposition has been indirectly aimed at the main opposition party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

According to reliable sources, the recent deregistration of parties, especially the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), was actually targeted at the ADC.

Recall that the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, on June, 26, set aside its earlier judgement directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the NDC as a political party. A ruling that put a question mark on the eligibility of the party presenting candidates in the forthcoming 2027 elections

The presiding judge, Isah Dashen, held that all relevant parties must be heard before any substantive decision can be made in the matter.

The court upheld the application filed by a certain organization, the Peace Movement Party (PMP), ruling that the party was a necessary party to the suit.

According to the judge, the earlier judgement was constitutionally defective as it was delivered without hearing from all interested parties.

He declared that such an omission rendered the entire process null and void.

Mr Dashen further ruled that the status quo be restored to what it was before the December 10, 2025 judgement, pending the determination of the substantive suit.

He also observed that certain material facts were suppressed in the earlier proceedings, which justified the decision to set aside the judgment.

Consequently, the court ordered that the substantive suit should begin afresh, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the PMP and the NDC as parties to the case.

According to NAN’s reports, the applicant’s lawyer, Chikezie Ekeocha, told journalists that the PMP approached the court after discovering that NDC’s registration was based on a logo it had previously submitted to INEC before the commencement of the suit.

According to Mr Ekeocha, the court agreed that the applicant’s rights had been affected and consequently vacated the earlier judgement.

“The court has ordered all parties to return to the position they occupied before the judgment of 10 December 2025, and directed the claimants to join all necessary parties to ensure the issues in dispute are effectually and completely determined,” he said.

He explained that the implication of the ruling is that every action taken by INEC in compliance with the now-vacated judgment stands reversed.

“The recognition of the NDC, the issuance of its certificate of registration, its inclusion in INEC’s records, and any appearance on ballot papers arising from that judgement must be withdrawn pending the final determination of the substantive suit,” Mr Ekeocha stated.

He, however, clarified that the substantive case remains before the court and has not been decided.

“The matter has not been concluded. The court merely set aside its previous judgment and directed that the party whose interests were affected be joined so that all sides can be heard before a fresh decision is reached.”

Mr Ekeocha also dismissed suggestions that the court merely ordered parties to maintain the status quo, insisting that the ruling specifically directed a restoration of the position that existed before the 10 December 2025 judgement.

The ruling effectively returns the dispute over the registration of the NDC to the Federal High Court for a fresh hearing, with all relevant parties expected to participate before a new determination is made.

It would also be recalled that a few weeks earlier, the Federal High Court in Abuja, had ordered the deregistration of five political parties including the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The others are Action People’s Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and Accord Party.

However, on June 16, the Court of Appeal in Abuja halted the enforcement of the judgement, ruling that it violated its earlier ruling staying proceedings before the Federal High Court.

While INEC awaits the release of the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment to deregister the NDC, the NDC has reacted, rejecting the judgment as travesty of justice.

Lending credence to the notion that the President Tinubu-led administration is basically targeting the establishment of the ADC as a party, and the candidature of its presidential flagbearer, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who is also the presidential candidate of the ADC, has stated categorically that there are plots to prevent the party from participating in the 2027 general election.

Atiku’s position is stated in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu on Monday, notifying the public that he had received credible information suggesting that political and legal manoeuvres were being deployed against the ADC, stressing that the persecution that has been thrown towards the NDC was a clear distraction as the main target is the ADC.

Atiku alleged that anti-democratic elements within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were working to ensure that the ADC is excluded from the ballot.

“We are fully aware of their plots. While they seek to sow confusion within the opposition, we know their real target is the ADC because it represents the most credible alternative,” he said.

Atiku called on Nigerians to reject any attempt to determine which opposition parties participate in the election.

“We therefore call on all Nigerians — not just ADC members and supporters — to rise in defense of democracy and reject any attempt by the ruling party to cherry-pick which opposition parties are permitted to participate in the next general election,” he said.

“Our message to the APC and the hooded men plotting in dark chambers is simple: you may conspire, but you will not succeed.

“If the APC is truly confident in its popularity, why is it so terrified of the ADC?”

He said he hoped the information available to him would not materialise but argued that recent political developments made such concerns difficult to dismiss.

“The pattern has become all too familiar. First, institutions that ought to be neutral are drawn into partisan contests,” he said.

“Then, frivolous litigations suddenly gain unusual momentum. Administrative powers are selectively deployed.

“Political pressure is mounted behind closed doors. Before long, democracy itself becomes the casualty.”

Atiku alleged that the ruling party has focused more on weakening the opposition than addressing the country’s economic and security challenges.

“The obsession with silencing the opposition has become so consuming that governance itself has taken a back seat,” he said.

“At a time when Nigerians are battling hunger, inflation, unemployment, insecurity, and collapsing purchasing power, those entrusted with public office appear preoccupied with political survival rather than national survival.”

Nigerians recall that ever since the official rejuvenation of the ADC in June/July of 2025, where the duo of Senator David Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola emerged as the party’s chairman and secretary respectively, the party has not known moments of peaceful coexistence as litigations from corners unknown have sprang up in a bid to destabilize the party and deprive it of the opportunity of featuring on the ballot paper come 2027.

ADC, as a child of circumstance emerged from the rumbles of the litigation-ridden former main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where two factions have consistently remelained at loggerheads over leadership. While the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who is working assiduously to ensure the reelection of Bola Tinubu, leads one faction, Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, who became a defacto head, leads the other faction. In all, PDP appeared to have no direction, forcing many of its members to jump ship, thereby birthing the ADC, and to a large extent, the NDC, which is presenting Peter Obi as the presidential candidate, with former Kano governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, as his running mate.

Sources also informed The Boss that the hasty reading and passage of the Electoral Act 2026 by the Godswill Akpabio-led National Assembly, with many great areas left unattended to, were also part of the grand design to deprive the ADC the constitutional rights of presenting candidates for the 2027 elections.

But both the ADC and the NDC has vowed that they would follow every process to ensure that the crackdown on opposition parties by the Tinubu administration comes to an abrupt end.

But beyond the intrigues, Nigerians are gearing up to participate fully in the forthcoming election with cross sections of the population either hailing Tinubu for his policies or knocking him for the untold hardship in the land.

Headline

South Africa Nothing Without Africa – MTN Boss, Mcebisi Jonas

Published

3 days ago

June 27, 2026

Eric

The MTN Group Chairman, Mcebisi Jonas, has condemned the ongoing anti-foreigner sentiment in South Africa, describing it as a symptom of State failure being cynically exploited by politicians with no interest in genuine solutions.

The speech is seen as one of the most substantive interventions by a senior business figure into xenophobic crisis currently plaguing South Africa.

Delivered during the funeral service of Zimbabwean-born activist and public servant, Thokozani Damasane, Jonas’ words have sparked a wave of discussion across South African civil society.

“I was thinking, what is home to Damasane?” he said. “Because I understand, and I understood very early in life, that home is where humanity is. Home is about humanness. It is about the good of humanity and striving for the good of humanity.”

Thokozani Damasane was born and educated in Zimbabwe before relocating to South Africa during the post-apartheid transition period. Jonas described him as arriving “as an outcast” into a country still finding its post-liberation footing – and choosing, nonetheless, to commit himself entirely to its struggles and its people.

“He immersed himself deeply into the struggles, into the pains of South Africans, and he became one of us,” Jonas said.

“In Damasane’s strength, our strength as South Africa and South Africans is reflected. And in his weaknesses, our own weaknesses are reflected.”

Speaking further, Jonas blamed the state for the failure being witnessed, emphasising that if foreigners leave South Africa today, the country’s problems will still persist.

“Foreigners can leave tomorrow – inequality will be with us,” he told the congregation.

“Foreigners will leave tomorrow – unemployment will be with us. Foreigners will leave tomorrow – our police will remain corrupt. Foreigners will leave tomorrow – our politicians will still be concerned with one thing: being elected and re-elected.

“The problem is the failure of the state. The State doesn’t manage immigration. It doesn’t manage its borders. It doesn’t enforce
law enforcement. It doesn’t manage education. What are you expecting?”

Jonas argued that this failure created fertile ground for political manipulation. “When people feel the burn, they become vulnerable to politicians whose sole purpose is to be elected and re-elected. Some of them have no credibility whatsoever. But they lead marches and tell our people that the problem is not us – it is foreigners.”

Jonas recounted a conversation he had witnessed between Damasane and a young man who had challenged the right of foreigners to be in South Africa. Damasane’s response, Jonas said, had stayed with him ever since.

“Damasane said to this guy: Just wait fifteen or twenty years. You will also want to leave your country.”

Jonas told mourners those words now carry a weight Damasane may not have anticipated. “As I stand up today, I look at South Africa. The level of oppression and inequality, the level of exclusion of our people, the level of corruption, the betrayal of the dream of liberation – those words of Damasane ring very loud in my ears.”

South Africa is nothing without Africa

Jonas closed with a call for what he described as a return to “national consciousness” – one rooted in continental solidarity and economic interdependence rather than ethnic exclusion.

“We are a nation embedded in Africa,” he said. “And without Africa, our growth as a country – economically – our fortune is intertwined with the growth of Africa. South Africa is nothing without Africa. And Africa is nothing without South Africa.”

He also reframed the question of legacy and identity for Damasane’s children, who were present. “Sometimes this thing called meritocracy is measured in wealth. No. It is values, it is principles, it is integrity. And your father had all of that.”

“We cannot judge people by their origin,” he told mourners. “We cannot determine the legal status of people by their origin.”

Headline

NDC Rejects Court Ruling on Party’s Registration, Heads to Appeal Court

Published

3 days ago

June 27, 2026

Eric

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), on Friday, vowed to challenge the judgment nullifying its registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), insisting that it would exercise its constitutional right of appeal.

Reacting to the ruling on Thursday, the party’s spokesman, Osa Director, said the NDC was still awaiting the certified copy of the judgment before making a comprehensive statement on the court’s decision.

He, however, confirmed that the party had resolved to head to the appellate court.

“We are still waiting to obtain a copy of the judgment. After reading the comprehensive judgment, we will make a detailed statement,” he said.

The spokesman added: “For now, what is certain is that we will exercise our right of appeal.”

Insisting that the party would challenge the ruling, he said: “It is our constitutional right to appeal, and we intend to exercise that right.”

When asked specifically whether the NDC would appeal the judgment voiding its registration, the spokesman replied: “Yes, the party will appeal the case.”

The party’s reaction came shortly after a Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, in a judgement that nullified its registration by INEC, a development that could have significant implications for the NDC’s participation in the country’s political process ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The NDC, however, maintained that it would refrain from making further comments on the substance of the judgment until it had studied the full text of the court’s decision.

The party’s planned appeal is expected to set the stage for a fresh legal battle over its status and continued existence as a registered political party.