The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party has taken a new turn with the governors from the South-South moving against the newly elected Zonal Chairman, Dan Orbih, and other executives loyal to the Minister for the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The PUNCH gathered on Tuesday that the four PDP governors from the South South, Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), and Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), are angry with Wike, Orbih, and others over the congress held in Calabar, Cross Rivers State, last Saturday.
Insiders revealed that the governors are demanding either a new congress or Orbih’s removal as they wanted their loyalists to take up leadership positions in the PDP South-South zone.
A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt had earlier restrained the party and the National Vice Chairman of the party in the South-South, Orbih, from conducting the party’s zonal congress.
The claimants, in the suit marked PHC/551/CS/2025, are members of the PDP in Rivers State, Tonu Ejiogu and Field Nkor.
But the party went ahead with the congress and the chairman of the electoral committee, Vita Abba, said Orbih polled 174 votes to emerge the winner of the election.
Other elected officials include Alabah Turnah (Secretary); Evelyn Weke (Treasurer); Ijeoma Obani (Financial Secretary); Timothy Okwoche (Organising Secretary); Iyrneri Briggs (Legal Adviser); Prince Etim Isong (Publicity Secretary); Loveday Abaribote (Auditor); Phenomena Esubok (Woman leader), and Patrick Asuquo (Youth Leader).
Wike, who was present at the congress, referred to the South-South as the PDP’s strongest stronghold, claiming that no other congress would take place in the region.
In response, the PDP National Working Committee, in a statement on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, disavowed the congress, clarifying that it was not an official party event.
However, senior party officials who spoke to The PUNCH in confidence because they were not authorised to speak to the media, revealed that the interests of the South-South governors were not protected at the zonal congress that produced Orbih as the chairman.
A party official stated, “The governors are unhappy that a congress was held in their zone without their involvement. The four governors cannot tolerate Wike dictating to them in the South-South; they believe he has had his time, and now it is their turn to decide who leads the PDP in the region.
“They are working with the NWC to explore legal options and hold another congress that will represent their interests. They are determined to take action against Wike, Orbih, and the individuals elected as the party’s zonal leaders.’’
Another insider added further insight into the governors’ battle plan, saying, “The governors will not just stand by. Wike cannot continue to act like a demigod. The crisis has now spread from Rivers State to the entire South-South.’’
In a related development, the PDP, in a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission dated February 20, notified the commission that due to operational constraints and unforeseen circumstances, the earlier scheduled South South Zonal Congress would not hold as scheduled.
The letter, which was exclusively obtained by The PUNCH, and received by INEC on Tuesday, was signed by the PDP National Secretary, Ude-Okoye.
It was titled, ‘Rescheduling of South-South Zonal Congress.’
It read in part, “The commission may please recall our earlier letter with ref: PDP/DOM/GF.2/VOL.1E/24-293 dated Monday, October 07, 2024 in which we informed the commission of our Zonal Congresses in North East, South East, South South, North Central and South West Zonal chapters of our party for the purpose of electing new Zonal Executive Committee Members and National Ex-Officials in the affected Zones.
“We hereby wish to formally inform the commission that due to operational constraints and unforeseen circumstances; the earlier scheduled South South Zonal Congress will not hold as scheduled.
“We shall communicate a new date and venue to the commission once it is fixed.”
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Government said it stands by the court order that restrained the PDP from holding its zonal congresses in Calabar, Cross River State, last week.
The state’s Commissioner for Information and Communication, Joseph Johnson, made this statement while answering questions from one of our correspondents.
Johnson, while noting that he is not the spokesperson for the PDP in the state, emphasised that the government is focused on delivering democratic dividends to the people.
He stated, “We have an order from the Rivers State High Court that says the PDP Congress should not hold. Anybody who went to Calabar is on his own.
“And there is freedom of movement. Our concern is we are providing development in Rivers State. If four governors where not there, it is merely the gathering of committee of friends.”
The Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, stated that he supported the PDP national leadership’s decision on the South-South congress.
The governor made this statement through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Festus Ahon, on Tuesday in Asaba, the capital of Delta State.
He said, “I align with the decision of PDP national on South-South congress.”
Similarly, the Bayelsa State PDP said it supported the position of the National Working Committee on the postponement of the South-South Zonal congress.
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, could not be reached for comments while thesState Chairman of the PDP, Solomon Agwanana, did not pick his call.
But a source close to both the governor and the party leadership said the position of the NWC was the position of the governor and the state leadership.
“The governor has no position. It is an issue for the National Working Committee and they have taken a position. I think that should be it,” the source said.
The PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, clarified that the Calabar Congress was open to modifications.
Osadolor stated that the party has an internal mechanism in place to rectify the process.
He stated, “Well, I was not in Calabar, and I also learned that the governors were not there either. However, that does not mean that everyone in Calabar wasn’t a PDP member; most of them were.
‘’As for the event itself, I believe the national publicity secretary issued a statement on it; so I trust that they are having a dialogue on the best way forward. We have internal mechanism that will correct the process.
“I wouldn’t call it an illegal gathering because there were sequences involved, but I believe whatever happened in Calabar is subject to further modification.”
Congress valid, Orbih insists
However, response to the criticism that trailed the congress, Orbih declared that congress was properly conducted.
The newly elected zonal chairman, who stressed that the absence of the four governors did not affect the congress results, also disclosed that the NWC had not convened to justify a change in the date of the exercise.
He argued, “We have not had any NWC meeting where the issue of the South-South Congress was presented as a memo to be considered for postponement.
“There are procedures to follow to discuss the postponement of the South-South Congress. A discussion in a social group cannot constitute what the Constitution refers to as an NWC meeting.
‘’If, in a social group, people make suggestions or see one thing or another, it cannot amount to a decision of an NWC meeting. So, I don’t want us to reduce the conduct of party activities to a level where important decisions will be made in a social group; that would be unconstitutional.
“PDP is a very organised party. We have a constitution, which is supreme. The Constitution clearly outlines the conduct of meetings, including NWC meetings, of which I am proudly a member.’’
“So, they know the process. The process governing the conduct of primaries and congresses is very well documented in our Constitution. The electoral law also specifies the conditions that must be met before any party can conduct primaries and congresses.
‘’You must write to INEC in accordance with the electoral law. It specifies the number of days prior to the Congress that you must write to INEC. As of today, the only official letter sent to INEC by the party was last year, in line with the Electoral Act.
“As of today, if they have any other correspondence stating that they wrote to INEC and INEC now said they changed the date, it would be nice to show me so that I can be well informed,’’ he demanded.
Orbih urged the governors and PDP members to unite and collaborate in order to strengthen the party in preparation for the 2027 elections.
He continued, “I am aware there are different categories of people who should attend the congress. I am also aware that there are number of states and members required to form a quorum for the congress to take place.
‘’I am more than aware that nowhere in the Constitution does it say that the governors must be present for a congress to be validly recognized.
“In my first tenure, the governor of Cross River was not present, and that did not invalidate the congress. But, like I said, the Constitution is supreme. The Constitution did not say that if, for any reason, the governor has a wedding engagement or an official engagement, that constitutes a reason why the congress should be postponed.’’
The party chief faulted arguments that the congress should not have held because a prominent member had other engagements on the day the election held.
“Let’s get serious. The party officially notified INEC last year, meeting the Electoral Act conditions regarding the provision of notification to INEC, with the required number of days before the congress.
‘’I don’t know how people look at it that after such a long notification, just two days before the congress, someone sends a letter to the NWC saying, due to some official or private engagement, they will not be able to attend and are requesting the congress be postponed.”
Attempts to reach the PDP National Publicity Secretary for a response were unsuccessful, as he did not response to a request for a reaction.
Group attacks Wike
Meanwhile, a group, the PDP Frontiers for Change and Progress has criticised the former Rivers State governor, Wike, for accusing the party’s Board of Trustees Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, of anti-party behaviour over his positive remarks about Gov. Alex Otti of the Labour Party.
In a statement on Tuesday, the group’s National Coordinator, Emeka Ikpegbu, said Wabara’s comments on Otti’s infrastructural achievements in Abia State were both factual and intended to attract the governor to the PDP ahead of the 2027 poll.
It argued that the former senate president “rather deserves commendation and not condemnation for his genuine efforts to expand PDP’s membership.”
The group cautioned Wike to stop pointing accusing fingers at Wabara whom, it said, “has been fighting to resist impunity and reposition PDP for a re-bounce.”
According to the group, Wabara’s fair comments on Otti were “based on obvious and undeniable achievements of the governor, and a smart move to possibly bring him into the PDP fold ahead of 2027.”
The statement read in part, “Wike should first bring his principal, President Bola Tinubu, who he praises everyday to the PDP before preaching to us about anti-party.
“Is there any anti-party as bad as a former governor and a presidential aspirant in PDP serving as a minister under the APC? How many times has Wike publicly praised President Tinubu yet nobody has sanctioned him for anti-party. Why will he begin to lecture us now on how to sanction members for anti-party?
“PDP members are satisfied with the efforts of our governors and the Senator Wabara-led BoT members to rebuild the party destroyed by APC moles in PDP clothing, insatiable despots bent on burying the party.” (Punch)
