ENUGU, Nigeria — Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has warned that the South-East may reconsider its membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) if the party fails to address what he described as growing marginalisation and internal disarray, particularly surrounding the tussle over the office of national secretary.
Speaking to journalists on Sunday, June 29, 2025, after a closed-door meeting held at the Enugu State Government House, Mbah reaffirmed his loyalty to the PDP but expressed deep frustration with the ongoing leadership disputes at the party’s national level.
“While I am still a member of the PDP, the South-East — and that includes me — reserves the right to review our continued membership of the party if the party is unwilling to put its house in order,” Mbah stated.
The governor’s remarks reflect a mounting discontent within the region, following the PDP’s failure to ratify Sunday Udeh-Okoye as national secretary — a recommendation unanimously adopted by the South-East zonal executive committee on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, and reaffirmed in a communique dated Wednesday, May 14, 2025.
“That was invariably the position adopted during our last South-East zonal meeting held here in Enugu,” Mbah said.
“During that meeting, the caucus noted that the party should not disregard the zone’s stand regarding the national secretary position.”
He added: “To all intents and purposes, this has obviously not been the case. So, there is no doubt as to where I stand on the matter. The position of the South-East with respect to the national secretaryship of the party as issued in that communiqué is sacrosanct.”
The May 14 communique, signed by PDP South-East Zonal Chairman Ali Odefa, warned that the region would “review its relationship with the party” if sidelined.
The communique also urged the national working committee (NWC) to recognise Udeh-Okoye’s nomination and called for the deputy national secretary to act in the role pending a final decision.
The leadership crisis in the PDP has seen three contenders — Udeh-Okoye, Samuel Anyanwu, and Setonji Koshoedo — all laying claim to the national secretary position.
Last week, acting PDP National Chairman Umar Damagum announced that Anyanwu would resume duties as national secretary, a move reportedly backed by key governors and members of the NWC.
However, 11 NWC members issued a joint statement disputing Anyanwu’s reinstatement and insisting that the matter would be resolved at the upcoming National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for Monday, June 30, 2025.
Tensions escalated further after reports emerged that Damagum had cancelled the NEC meeting — a claim at odds with the joint NWC statement reaffirming the June 30 date.
Sunday’s meeting in Enugu was attended by prominent party figures including Seyi Makinde, Governor of Oyo; Adolphus Wabara, Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees; former National Chairman Okwesilieze Nwodo; former Minister Josephine Anenih; Senators Sam Egwu and Ben Obi; and Udeh-Okoye himself.
The controversy has reignited longstanding fears of marginalisation among South-East leaders in the PDP, with Mbah’s latest warning adding pressure on the party’s national leadership to reach a resolution before the NEC meeting.
The crisis comes as the PDP attempts to reposition itself ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The internal division has reignited concerns about the party’s coherence, particularly in the South-East — a region historically considered a PDP stronghold but now increasingly restive.
Mbah described the situation as an “endless circus” and questioned the party’s ability to self-correct without undermining its internal democracy and regional equity.
