The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declined to accept the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) notification for its upcoming 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, citing a procedural violation in how the notice was submitted.
In a letter dated June 13, 2025, and addressed to PDP’s National Chairman, INEC pointed out that the notification did not align with the 2022 Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties.
The Commission referred specifically to Part 2(12)3, which outlines that:
“The National Chairman and National Secretary of the Party shall jointly sign the notice of convention, congress, conference or meeting and submit same to the Commission.”
The letter, signed by INEC’s Acting Secretary, Hajiya Hau’ru Aminu, highlighted that the PDP’s submitted notice failed to meet this requirement.
“The Commission draws your attention that the notice is not in compliance… Be guided,” the letter stated.
Although the PDP filed the notice within the 21-day legal timeframe, it was reportedly endorsed solely by Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum, without the signature of National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, a key procedural lapse.
According to the PDP’s earlier communication to INEC, dated May 30, 2025, the NEC meeting is scheduled for June 30 at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.
The gathering is expected to deliberate on a number of internal matters, including unresolved leadership tensions, ratification of zonal congresses, and the review of various committee reports.
The party has been grappling with deep-seated internal conflict in the aftermath of the 2023 general elections, which led to waves of defections.
High-profile exits included Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, his deputy Monday Onyeme, and former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, among other political stakeholders in the state, who all joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) in April.
In response, the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) convened an emergency meeting that same month at the party’s Abuja secretariat to discuss the crisis.
More recently, on June 9, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and members of the influential G5 group held a meeting in which they called for the PDP to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South, signaling early moves in shaping the party’s political direction.
Meanwhile, Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate, has launched a series of consultations in an effort to unite key opposition figures.
His discussions with politicians such as Peter Obi and Nasir El-Rufai are aimed at forming a broader coalition to challenge what he has described as the emergence of a de facto “one-party state” under the ruling APC.
However, not everyone in the party supports the coalition idea.
Some prominent PDP members, including Bode George, remain optimistic that the party will regroup and emerge stronger ahead of the planned NEC meeting.
