Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are set to convene in Abuja today in response to the recent wave of defections affecting the party.
The PDP governors’ ranks diminished by one just two weeks ago when Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, alongside his predecessor, Dy. Ifeanyi Okowa, and the entire PDP structure in Delta, shifted their allegiance to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
This follows a meeting held three weeks ago in Ibadan, where the governors declared their intention not to participate in coalition discussions led by the PDP presidential candidate for the 2023 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Notably, Oborevwori was absent from the Ibadan gathering.
Today’s meeting, scheduled to take place at the Bauchi State Governors’ Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, comes amid rising fears and uncertainties ahead of the much-anticipated meeting of the party’s highest decision-making body, the National Executive Committee (NEC), on May 27.
According to The Nation that the PDP Governors’ meeting is expected to tackle the ongoing crisis within the party that has led to the departures of prominent figures such as Oborevwori and Okowa. Additionally, all three Senators from Kebbi State representing the party are reportedly moving towards the APC, with observers suggesting that further defections are likely in the near future.
Legal complexities surrounding the status of the PDP National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who has been sidelined by the governors in favour of Architect Setonji Koshoedo, continue to be a source of tension as the party approaches the NEC meeting. A highly-placed source has indicated that if the NEC meeting is not postponed due to these legal matters, there is a strong possibility that the proposed national convention may not occur until well after August.
Currently, three major factions are strategising for the May 27 meeting: the PDP Governors, the Atiku Abubakar bloc, and loyalists of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike. During the last meeting of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) at Wadata Plaza in Abuja, the party’s Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Ilyas Damagum, announced that they would adopt all resolutions made by the PDP Governors’ Forum at their April 14 meeting in Ibadan.
The NWC’s decision to align with the recommendations from the PDP Governors’ Forum sets the stage for a high-stakes showdown among competing power blocs determined to assert their interests. Although the PDP Governors’ Forum lacks formal recognition under the party’s constitution, its recommendations—adopted by the Damagum-led NWC—include a rejection of the proposed political merger or coalition strongly advocated by Atiku loyalists, as well as a recommendation that the National Secretary position be temporarily filled by the Deputy National Secretary, Architect Setonji Koshoedo.
Also adopted were recommendations for the establishment of a Zoning Committee, chaired by Governor Douye Diri, with Governor Dauda Lawal as Vice Chairman and Governor Caleb Mutfwang as Secretary, to address all issues related to the zoning of party offices. Furthermore, a National Convention Committee has been proposed, to be chaired by Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, with Governor Ademola Adeleke as Vice Chairman and Governor Peter Mbah as Secretary, to oversee the upcoming national convention scheduled for August 28 to 30 in Kano.
Sources indicate that while Damagum is currently collaborating well with the PDP governors, there are concerns that ongoing arrangements may still lead to disappointment, as several members of the PDP NWC face significant challenges for reappointment.
Tensions have been escalating for months over the fate of the Damagum-led NWC, which has split into two factions that engaged in counter-suspensions last year before being reined in by the PDP governors. Some of the party’s governors, alongside members of the Atiku bloc and other internal factions, have openly called for Damagum’s removal, with the entire NWC requiring dissolution—a move only the NEC is empowered to enact under the PDP constitution.
For Atiku loyalists, the PDP Governors’ stance against a coalition, coupled with the appointment of Governor Fintiri to lead the national convention committee, signals potential challenges ahead. Nevertheless, Atiku loyalists are rallying party leaders from both the North and South to bolster their efforts, aiming to curtail the influence of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and his associate, Senator Anyanwu, through the establishment of a caretaker committee or by positioning their loyalists in the ad-hoc leadership to manage the party’s affairs until the national convention later this year.
