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PDP Crisis Deepens As Party Loses 300 Members In 12 Months

Published

2 months ago

Feb 18, 2025.

Over 300 PDP members defected due to leadership crises.
Court disputes over key positions deepened internal strife.
PDP blames APC, vows reconciliation efforts.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) continues to grapple with internal strife as over 300 members have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and other parties in the past year. The wave of defections, spanning February 2024 to February 2025, has been linked to leadership crises at both state and national levels.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that since the removal of former National Chairman Iyorchia Ayu and the appointment of Umar Damagum in an acting capacity, the party has struggled to maintain stability. Calls from North-Central stakeholders for a substantive chairman to complete Ayu’s tenure have gone unheeded, worsening the party’s challenges.

The PDP’s internal wrangling deepened over the national secretary position. In 2023, the South-East zone nominated Sunday Ude-Okoye to replace Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who had emerged as the party’s governorship candidate in Imo State. The controversy escalated with conflicting court rulings and factional disputes.

On January 28, Anyanwu’s supporters forcibly removed Ude-Okoye from a PDP Board of Trustees meeting, forcing the intervention of party governors. The governors later endorsed Ude-Okoye, a decision Anyanwu contested, petitioning the police and the courts.

Amid the crisis, key PDP figures have defected nationwide. In the North, ex-Kaduna Governor Mukhtar Yero, Senators Shehu Sani and Suleiman Hunkuyi, and former Katsina Governor Ibrahim Shema have joined other parties. Southern defectors include former Senate President Pius Anyim, ex-Ebonyi Assembly member Victor Nwoke, and former Imo Governor Emeka Ihedioha.

Despite these losses, PDP National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba dismissed claims of internal failure, accusing the APC of orchestrating the defections to weaken opposition parties. He emphasized that the PDP’s Reconciliation Committee, led by former Osun Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, was working to resolve disputes and prevent further exits.

PDP Deputy National Youth Leader Timothy Osadolor blamed economic hardship and APC’s tactics for the defections, while former deputy publicity secretary Diran Odeyemi warned that prolonged crises could further damage the party’s reputation.

PDP 300 Members

The PDP now faces an urgent challenge: restoring unity before the 2027 elections.