Nigeria’s main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has postponed its 2025 Elective National Convention, deepening tensions within its ranks amid claims of infiltration by ruling party interests.
The convention, originally scheduled for Tuesday, October 28, was called off due to “unforeseen circumstances,” according to a statement by the Chairman of the National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC) and Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Fintiri.
Fintiri assured party members that a new date will soon be announced. “A new date will be communicated once fixed. The NCOC regrets any inconvenience caused by the postponement,” the statement read.
He reaffirmed the committee’s commitment to a “transparent, credible, and seamless” convention process.
But the postponement has coincided with renewed internal strife. Aspirants who had already arrived Abuja for the event reportedly expressed confusion as the crisis within the PDP took a new twist.
Lawmakers Accuse Leaders of Backing APC Nominee
More than 20 PDP federal lawmakers have threatened to dump the party, alleging a plot to install a nominee of an All Progressives Congress (APC) governor as the next PDP National Woman Leader.
In a statement signed by their spokesman, Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, the lawmakers accused party leaders of issuing a nomination form to a woman allegedly sponsored by Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah — a former PDP member who recently defected to the APC.
“PDP lawmakers have uncovered a new plot by pro-APC elements in our party to clear a nominee from an APC governor, Gov. Mbah of Enugu, for the post of national woman leader,” the lawmakers claimed.
They alleged that the acting PDP National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum, and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde are backing the controversial nominee, sidelining loyal PDP women from Imo and Enugu.
“It’s shameful that PDP governors who should be angry with Mbah are now supporting his nominee. They secretly issued her a nomination form instead of giving it to a faithful PDP woman,” the statement added.
Threats of Defection and Alleged 2027 Plot
The lawmakers warned they would leave the PDP if the alleged APC nominee is not disqualified during the rescheduled screening process.
“This is non-negotiable,” they said, insisting that the form should be withdrawn and reissued to “a loyal PDP member, preferably the current woman leader, Mrs. Ifeanyinwa.”
They further accused Damagum and Senator Samuel Anyanwu of a “wider plan to fill the PDP with pro-APC members who will later endorse President Bola Tinubu as sole presidential candidate in 2027.”
The accusations, if true, could signal a serious ideological fracture within the PDP. Party insiders told reporters that the controversy over the Woman Leader position has become symbolic of a deeper struggle between factions loyal to different governors and national power brokers.
Unless the PDP resolves its leadership tensions swiftly, it could face a major split ahead of the 2027 elections — a prospect that would weaken its already fragile standing, and possibly beyond repair, as Nigeria’s main opposition force.
As one analyst in Abuja noted, “The PDP’s biggest challenge is not the ruling APC — it’s its own inability to speak with one voice.” But if they’re battling infiltration, as they allege, how can they possibly speak with one voice.
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