A new internal crisis has hit the Peoples Democratic Party as the camp led by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike issued a list of six critical demands just ahead of the planned PDP national convention, igniting fresh conflict within the party’s leadership. The group insists that these demands—ranging from fresh congresses in key states to the retention of the national chairmanship in North-Central—must be met for the convention to hold legitimacy.
At the inauguration of the 2025 National Convention Organising Committee, prominent PDP leaders mounted an emphatic response. Governor Bala Mohammed, heading the PDP Governors’ Forum, warned that the party will not be “blackmailed or hijacked” and affirmed that the governors are “not cowards” ready to be dragged into internal self-destruction.
Ambassador Umar Damagum, the PDP National Chairman, echoed this defiance, declaring that the party is neither broken nor defeated, and remains determined to move forward stronger. He insisted the PDP would not buckle under pressure and remains focused on regaining national power.
Senator Ahmed Makarfi, representing the Board of Trustees, stressed that a convention should reflect the will of the majority, not be held hostage by a vocal minority. He portrayed true democracy as inclusive, not obstructive.
Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, heading the convention committee, promised a fair and free event. He urged all members to formally participate—buy forms and contest—to ensure democratic competition, and rejected allowing internal pressures to derail the process.
Wike’s six-point ultimatum includes the following key demands: immediate repeat congresses in Ebonyi and Anambra states; a fresh South-East zonal congress; execution of Ekiti local government congresses; adherence to court-upheld outcomes in South-South congresses; suspension of micro-zoning beyond NEC-approved arrangements; and retention of the national chairmanship in North-Central. Failure to meet these demands, Wike’s camp warned, would render the convention invalid.
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