Fresh details have emerged on the conditions that paved the way for the reinstatement of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The decision, taken at the party’s 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held on Monday, June 30, 2025, in Abuja, followed negotiations involving PDP governors, lawmakers, and the Board of Trustees (BoT).
Party insiders revealed that Anyanwu’s return came with specific demands. Chief among them was that he must withdraw all pending court cases challenging the party and commit not to interfere in preparations for the National Elective Convention scheduled for August.
“He was asked to sign an undertaking that he won’t harass any party staff or disrupt the convention plans,” a source at the PDP National Secretariat disclosed.
“He also had to agree to withdraw every legal case he filed against the party,” the source added.
Confirming the development after the NEC meeting, PDP’s Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, told journalists: “We all agreed that Senator Anyanwu will continue as National Secretary. And we’ve scheduled our next NEC meeting for July 23, where we’ll conclude plans for the national convention.”
The build-up to Monday’s decision was marked by back-to-back meetings by rival factions within the party.
On Sunday, Damagum met with Anyanwu and some National Working Committee (NWC) members at Wadata Plaza, Abuja, where they endorsed Anyanwu’s return and reaffirmed support for him.
But in a counter-move, Acting Secretary Setonji Koshoedo, South-East Vice Chairman Ali Odefa, and Deputy National Chairman (South) Taofeek Arapaja—along with other NWC members—met separately at the same venue to back Koshoedo’s continued stay as acting secretary.
One camp, led by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and supported by governors from Enugu, Osun, Zamfara, and Bayelsa, opposed Anyanwu’s reinstatement and insisted that the NEC meeting should proceed without him.
On the other side stood the camp loyal to former Rivers State Governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, with backing from governors of Plateau, Bauchi, Taraba, and Adamawa States. Wike’s camp pushed for a delay of the NEC meeting until Anyanwu’s status was resolved.
Security tensions also rose on Monday as police and other security agencies cordoned off the PDP National Secretariat, forcing the BoT to shift its meeting to the Yar’Adua Centre.
The breakthrough came following an emergency meeting at the Bauchi Governor’s Lodge in Abuja, attended by PDP governors, BoT members, and key NWC officials.
“The meeting was intense. In the end, it was agreed that the NEC must go on, and that Anyanwu should be reinstated in line with the party’s constitution,” a source familiar with the talks said.
“There were also concerns that INEC may not recognise anyone else as secretary, which could have legal consequences,” the source added.
Anyanwu, present at the meeting, reportedly accepted all terms for his reinstatement and committed to working within the framework agreed by party stakeholders.
