The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has defended the legitimacy of its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held on May 27, 2025, insisting it was convened in line with the party’s constitution.
This response comes amid objections from key party figures, including Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike and embattled National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, who both claimed the meeting was invalid.
Wike argued that the NEC could not be considered official because it was not convened by Anyanwu, the party’s National Secretary.
He described it instead as merely a “stakeholders’ meeting.”
Anyanwu echoed the same position while speaking to journalists last week in Abuja.
He stated, “Apart from the fact that I did not call for the meeting, the PDP leadership’s decision to allow Chief Ali Odefa, the deputy national chairman (South East), into the meeting has made the NEC a nullity.”
He claimed Odefa had been suspended at the ward, local government, and state levels, disqualifying him from attending the meeting.
“The gathering could only be called a stakeholders’ meeting,” Anyanwu emphasized.
However, addressing the controversy during an interactive session at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, maintained that the NEC meeting was properly convened.
“This party operates a constitution, and it talks about how to convene a NEC meeting. The constitution is very clear. It is the chairman of the party that summons NEC,” Ologunagba stated.
He added, “You can recall that the chairman, after the 600th NWC meeting, which you all covered, he gave you notice or summoned and gave you a date. Also at the NEC meeting, the chairman presided.
“So if the chairman presided, I would be wondering why it would not be a NEC meeting,” he said.
Brushing aside the dispute, Ologunagba emphasized the PDP’s broader focus on party unity and democratic progress.
“But again, we have gone beyond all of that. It’s in the public domain that this party is trying to get together in unity and ensure that we work together, not just for the party, not just for our individual interest, but the overall interest of the Nigerian people and democracy.”
