{"id":7819,"date":"2025-05-13T09:57:31","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T09:57:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/?p=7819"},"modified":"2025-05-13T09:57:31","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T09:57:31","slug":"wike-tightens-control-of-pdp-as-anyanwu-resumes-amid-internal-power-struggles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/13\/wike-tightens-control-of-pdp-as-anyanwu-resumes-amid-internal-power-struggles\/","title":{"rendered":"Wike Tightens Control of PDP as Anyanwu Resumes Amid Internal Power Struggles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike<\/strong> has solidified his grip on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)<\/strong>, following the official resumption of his ally, Samuel Anyanwu<\/strong>, as the party\u2019s National Secretary. This move, seen as a political masterstroke, is reshaping internal party dynamics ahead of the 2027 general elections.<\/p>\n

Despite a Sunday night meeting of PDP governors aimed at mending internal rifts, Anyanwu\u2014backed by a March 21 Supreme Court judgment<\/strong>\u2014submitted PDP’s candidate list for the Anambra governorship election to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)<\/strong> on Monday. INEC had earlier declared it would only accept correspondence signed by the legitimate National Secretary, reaffirming Anyanwu\u2019s pivotal role.<\/p>\n

The letter, dated May 7, 2025<\/strong>, confirmed Ezenwafor Jude C.<\/strong> as PDP\u2019s governorship candidate for Anambra, with Hon. Okene Francis Chukwudi<\/strong> as running mate.<\/p>\n

Wike\u2019s Strategic Advantage and Influence in PDP<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Wike\u2019s influence is now seen as central to PDP\u2019s decision-making machinery. With allies holding the positions of acting National Chairman<\/strong> and National Secretary<\/strong>, and considerable support within the National Working Committee (NWC)<\/strong> and Board of Trustees (BoT)<\/strong>, Wike is poised to influence crucial pre-election decisions, including the zoning of the party\u2019s 2027 presidential ticket.<\/p>\n

Speaking to journalists on Monday, the former Rivers State governor rejected claims he was destabilizing the PDP.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cTearing the party? No. I\u2019m rebuilding it. Our constitution is clear: only the National Chairman or Secretary can sign INEC-bound documents,\u201d Wike stated.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He warned that any National Executive Committee (NEC)<\/strong> meeting not convened by recognized officers would face legal challenges:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cOnly the National Secretary can issue a valid NEC notice. If someone else signs, I\u2019ll challenge it in court. That\u2019s not a threat\u2014it\u2019s Supreme Court precedent.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Saraki Leads Strategy Committee Ahead of May NEC Meeting<\/strong><\/h3>\n

To calm tensions and prepare for the May 27 NEC meeting, PDP governors and stakeholders established a seven-member strategy committee<\/strong> led by Senator Bukola Saraki<\/strong>. The committee includes sitting governors Dauda Lawal (Zamfara)<\/strong>, Caleb Muftwang (Plateau)<\/strong>, and Peter Mbah (Enugu)<\/strong>, alongside former governors Seriake Dickson<\/strong>, Ibrahim Dankwambo<\/strong>, and Okezie Ikpeazu<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Saraki clarified the committee\u2019s role on social media:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe had a fruitful meeting… The committee will chart a way forward and ensure a rancour-free NEC and national convention.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

BoT Inaugurates 39 New Members, Reaffirms Party Unity<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Board of Trustees (BoT)<\/strong>, known as the “conscience of the party,” inaugurated 39 new members<\/strong> on Monday. BoT Chairman Senator Adolphus Wabara<\/strong> reassured members of PDP\u2019s survival and resilience:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe God of PDP never sleeps. Today is not just a celebration\u2014it\u2019s a reaffirmation of our collective commitment to the PDP.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Wabara urged new members to offer wise counsel, foster internal stability, and help reclaim PDP\u2019s status as Nigeria\u2019s leading political force.<\/p>\n

Calls for Wike\u2019s Expulsion Grow Louder<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Despite Wike\u2019s consolidation of power, pressure mounts from within. The Conference of Professionals in the PDP (CP-PDP)<\/strong> called on the Saraki committee to fast-track Wike\u2019s expulsion<\/strong>, citing his continued support for the APC<\/strong> and threats of litigation against PDP processes.<\/p>\n

In a statement, CP-PDP Chairman Obinna Nwachukwu<\/strong> said:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWike’s public alignment with the APC, especially ahead of the FCT council elections and 2027 polls, undermines PDP\u2019s credibility.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The group described Wike\u2019s presence at the stakeholders’ meeting as \u201coffensive\u201d and urged swift action before the NEC meeting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has solidified his grip on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), following the official resumption of his ally, Samuel Anyanwu, as the party\u2019s National Secretary. This move, seen as a political masterstroke, is reshaping internal party dynamics ahead of the 2027 general elections. Despite a Sunday night meeting of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7822,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35,36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-politics"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7819"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7819"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7819\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7823,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7819\/revisions\/7823"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}