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Thepledge Big Story: Can PDP Surmount Its Internal Rumbles?

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By Augustine Akhilomen

It appears there is no end in sight to the lingering crisis rocking the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) after some big wings called for the resignation of the party’s acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum, and Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, over alleged anti-party activities and their role in the Rivers State political logjam.

The crisis escalated following Damagum’s suspension of the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, and the National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, who had been vocal in urging the acting chairman to ensure the party adhered to its constitution in its day-to-day operations.

Since its establishment nearly 26 years ago, the opposition and former ruling party is facing one of its biggest tests ahead of the 2027 general election. However, Thepledge learnt that the internal discord is fuelled by a struggle to control the party’s structure ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Interestingly, it is believed that the current crisis within the party may be caused by the two political gladiators in Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike and 2023 presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar.

The roots of the crisis can be traced to the 28 May 2022 presidential primary, which produced Atiku Abubakar as the party’s flag bearer. This led to open rebellion from Wike and the G5 governors—Samuel Ortom, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Okezie Ikpeazu (former governors of Benue, Enugu, and Abia), and Seyi Makinde, the current governor of Oyo State. The others have since left office having completed their tenures.

Ahead of the presidential election, the G5 governors demanded the resignation of the National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, as a condition for reconciliation, a demand Atiku and his supporters rejected. Unsurprisingly, Atiku and the PDP lost in all the G5-governed states.

Ayu was later ousted after he was suspended by his ward in Benue State and by a court that asked him to stop posing as chairman. That paved the way for Damagum to act as chairman.


This was widely seen as the G5 governors taking over the party’s structure. With Damagum as acting Chairman and Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary, the control of the party was firmly in the hands of Wike’s camp, protecting him from the threat of suspension over alleged anti-party activities.

Historically, Atiku has shown little interest in controlling party structures, yet he has successfully won two primaries, even against candidates backed by governors. Atiku, a veteran of party primaries, has made no secret of his intention to run again in 2027 and has remained in the country, perhaps to avoid the usual criticism of abandoning the party after elections.

The PDP has always prided itself on having the strongest internal conflict resolution mechanism. Between 1999 and 2015, when the party held presidential power, conflicts were resolved with the intervention of the sitting president.

With the governors now divided, it seems that the internal conflict resolution mechanism may not work, given the many interests fighting for different objectives.

Again, there are fears that the internal frictions may blow open once more at the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting scheduled for November 28.

Neither Atiku nor Wike was invited to last week’s meeting which Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Bala Mohammed described as ‘a meeting of all of PDP’ stakeholders.

Reacting to the development, a founding member of the PDP, Bode George, urged Wike and the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to calm down.

George, in an interview on Arise TV, said Atiku and Wike should allow PDP elders to deliberate in resolving the crisis within the party, which started during the build-up to the last presidential election.

“I want to appeal to the leaders of the various groups in the party that it is time to shield your personal ambition and let us rebuild the party. Let the Iroko tree get back because the tap roots are still there and our people outside the country are asking what is happening with the party.

“There is no organization in the world without crisis, but it’s our ability to resolve the crisis. This crisis didn’t stand now; it started at the presidential convention, and nobody was able to manage it.

“We were the founders of the PDP, and I will never serve under Ikimi’s committee; it’s not about disrespect. Atiku and Wike should calm down and let us go to the elders meeting where we would start this discussion to trace this crisis back to that convention because that was where everything started going in the wrong direction.”

However, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said he has no hand in the leadership crisis rocking the party. His Special Assistant on Public Communication Phrank Shuaibu told The Nation that Atiku is not in any way part of the crisis in the party.


“Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar believes in due process and he has been focused on how to build the PDP into a more formidable Party and he completely has no hand in any crisis that would rather draw the party backwards.

“It is extremely farfetched and unfair to insinuate that Atiku has any involvement with any individual or group’s plans to brief lawyers and go to court towards vacating Justice Peter Lifu’s judgement,” Shuaibu stressed.

Meanwhile, the People’s Democratic Party Governors’ Forum (PDP-GF) said that the internal crisis rocking the party had been resolved. The forum’s chairman, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State said stakeholders had agreed that all the suspensions within the National Working Committee (NWC) be set aside and the status quo maintained.

“All the suspensions you heard about have been resolved by the governors, the NWC, the caucus of the National Assembly, and the BoT.

“There is no faction; everything has reverted to the status quo under the acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, pending the time the governors and other organs of the party will sit down and resolve all the issues.

“There is no party that does not have problems. Some of them are legal, and we do not want to preempt the outcome of the legal procedures. So, whatever speculations and perceptions might have gone out are wrong.

“Both parties have agreed that in the interest of the party and Nigeria, we should return to the status quo before the suspension and counter-suspension.

“These suspensions have been lifted; there are no more suspensions. That is the resolution of the PDP-GF,” he said.

“Yes, we may have ill feelings here and there, but we should bury them. Our personal feelings should not be allowed to create perceptions that seem to divide us,” he said.

However a chieftain of the Party and former National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Wednesday, charged Nigerians to allow the party to breathe.

Ologbondiyan made the call in reaction to the rift between Atiku and Wike,

Stressing that the party is larger than Atiku and Wike, the former PDP’s National Publicity Secretary urged them to make peace in the interest of the party.

Featuring on Channels Television’s Morning Brief, the PDP chieftain said the party should not be brought down to the views of what Wike or Atiku’s faction are saying.

With no end in sight, Ologbondiyan said: “I look forward to the day when the PDP will be allowed to breathe without the issue of former vice president Atiku Abubakar or the current minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike.

“The PDP is larger than two individuals. It is a party of millions of people, and we cannot permanently reduce it to the level of what one side or the other is saying. What of those who don’t have sides and have moved beyond the election and the 2023 convention?”

With the current tension, it is doubtful if the next National Working Committee set for November 28, will achieve anything meaningful. It is however the hope of its teeming members and well-meaning Nigerians that the party and its leaders will put its house in order and put the ruling party, All Progressive Congress (APC) on its toes for the sake of the nation’s young democracy.

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Peter Obi Urges Transparency After Rise In 2025 Budget

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The presidential candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 polls, Peter Obi, on Friday called for greater transparency and accountability as a result of the recent increase in the Budget of Restoration to ₦54 trillion due to reported revenue growth.

Obi made the call in a statement on X, noting that while the sources of revenue were detailed, there was no corresponding breakdown of expenditures to justify the budget increase.

The LP chieftain stressed the need for Nigerians to be informed on how public funds are allocated and spent.

“For transparency and accountability sake, Nigerians need to know how the resources generated from them are being allocated to ensure that they are judiciously spent on the country’s development and the well-being of the people,” Obi said.

According to the former Anambra governor, budgetary expenditures should be directed toward critical areas of development, including education, healthcare, security, and poverty alleviation, to ensure meaningful impact on citizens’ lives.


Yesterday, I read about the increase in the Budget of Restoration to ₦54 trillion due to increased revenue.

While the sources of this revenue were detailed, there is no corresponding breakdown of expenditures to justify the increase. For transparency and accountability sake…

— Peter Obi (@PeterObi) February 7, 2025

He said Nigerians are still waiting for a detailed account of the execution and expenditures of the Renewed Hope budget, which was passed in December 2023.

While urging the government to provide clarity on how the funds from that budget have been utilized, he wants the “National Assembly to seize this opportunity to obtain and make public the full details of the 2024 budget of Renewed Hope budget.”

He also called on lawmakers and government officials to prioritise openness and accountability to safeguard public trust as preparations begin for the 2025 Budget of Restoration,

“Transparency in this regard is crucial for ensuring accountability, learning from past budgets, and making informed decisions for the nation’s progress.

“As we work towards passing the Budget of Restoration for 2025, let us uphold openness, accountability, and the welfare of the Nigerian people. We owe it to ourselves, our children, and the future of our great nation,” he stated.

Obi’s demand comes two days after President Bola Tinubu hiked the proposed 2025 budget from ₦49.7 trillion to ₦54.2 trillion, citing additional revenues generated by key government agencies.

Tinubu conveyed the budget adjustment in separate letters sent to both the Senate and the House of Representatives, which were read during Wednesday’s plenary by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

The President disclosed that the increase was driven by ₦1.4 trillion in additional revenue from the Federal Inland Revenue Service, ₦1.2 trillion from the Nigeria Customs Service, and ₦1.8 trillion generated by other government-owned agencies.

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TUC Threatens To ‘Down Tools’ Over Telecom Tariff Increase

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The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has threatened to go on strike if the Federal Government does not rescind its recent approval for the 50 per cent increase in telecommunications tariff.

The President of the TUC, Comrade Festus Osifo, made this known during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday.

Following its National Administrative Council (NAC) meeting earlier in the day, the TUC condemned the proposed tariff hike, saying that it is not only ill-timed but also a deliberate act of economic oppression against Nigerians.

Asked if the union will down tools and enter the streets if the FG doesn’t act on their demand for the reversal of the decision, Osifo replied, “Yes! Correct!”

On the date the action will begin, Osifo said, “What we had today is the NAC meeting to bring about the sensitization. After that, we will have the CWC meeting and the NEC meeting. So, it is the responsibility of NEC of TUC to give a date and define the next line of action.”

The TUC president advised the Federal Government to tackle the root cause of the problem which he said is forex management rather than the symptoms.

“If you know what the root cause of the problem is, why would you start looking at the symptoms? So, all the increment that we are seeing today is the symptoms of the FX mismanagement.

“So, all we are asking is that let us sit down, let us look at how we can go back to that root cause because we strongly believe that if that root cause is addressed, there is no need for these symptoms to prop up,” Osifo said.

He acknowledged that the telecommunications companies are facing high costs of operations, but said that it would be better for them for the government to provide economic stability that will reduce the cost of operation instead of always looking to increase tariffs.

The proposed telecom tariff increase has raised dust among labour unions and civil society organisations. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had fixed a protest on Tuesday but suspended the action following a talk with representatives of the Federal Government.

After extensive deliberation, both the NLC and the FG agreed to set up a 10-man committee comprising five members from both parties to review and submit its report within two weeks.

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Well-Meaning Not Enough In Leadership, Fayemi Tells Tinubu

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Former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi says President Bola Tinubu means well with his policies but well-meaning is not enough in leadership.

The ex-governor, who described the president as his elder brother, said the Tinubu administration must have a policy framework that aligns with leadership acumen to get Nigerians the desired change.

“He (Tinubu) is well-meaning but well-meaning is not enough in leadership; intentionality is critical to success,” the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain said on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Thursday.

Fayemi, a high-ranking member of the president’s party and an ally of the number one citizen, said those in power know the truth but do not act the truth “because sometimes there are many mediating factors”.

He said, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done many good things, we all must acknowledge that. He’s been bold to take on some of the most difficult decisions that previous leaders have been reluctant to take on.

“The fallout of those decisions has caused us huge cost of living crisis. Fuel subsidy removal, convergence of FX window.

“Whether you talk about student loan or other efforts at resisting insurgency, taming insecurity, tax policy reform, increase revenue into the federal coffers, some elements are there but need to come together.

“This is where effective policy framework go side by side with leadership acumen to get a change of narrative to the story. Maybe that’s the area where we need to do lots more.”

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