ENUGU, Nigeria — In a renewed effort to quell internal tensions threatening the cohesion of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki on Friday, May 23, 2025, led a high-powered reconciliation delegation to meet with Enugu State Governor and South East PDP leader, Dr. Peter Mbah.
The closed-door meeting, held at the Enugu State Government House, was the first stop for the newly reconstituted Special Reconciliation and Strategy Committee, tasked by the PDP Governors’ Forum with ensuring unity ahead of the party’s upcoming National Executive Council (NEC) meeting and a likely national convention.
Also present at the meeting were committee members and former governors Senator Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State and Dr. Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State.
The visit follows rising tensions within the South East PDP over the national secretary position vacated by Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
In a communique issued last week, the South East PDP Zonal Executive Council (ZEC) re-nominated former PDP National Youth Leader, Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye, to complete the remainder of Anyanwu’s tenure.
The ZEC warned of a potential mass exit from the party if its decision is not respected.
“In the event that our position is not promptly implemented by the Party, the South East PDP, as a family, will be compelled to reconsider our relationship with the PDP going forward,” the communique stated.
Speaking to journalists after Friday’s engagement, Saraki described the meeting as “very useful” and said it marked the beginning of efforts to reset the party’s internal dynamics.
“We are members of the PDP Reconciliation and Strategy Committee that was set up recently by the PDP Governors’ Forum to work towards ensuring that our upcoming National Executive Council meeting and also likely convention is rancor-free and works smoothly,” Saraki said.
He praised Governor Mbah’s leadership in the region and the performance of his administration, calling it “a reflection for Nigerians to see what happens when you have a PDP government.”
“This is the first state we are coming to because we appreciate the importance of the South East in our PDP family,” Saraki said.
“The South East has played a key role as the bedrock of the popularity and the strength of our party.”
While the delegation did not announce any final resolutions, Saraki noted that the discussions had provided a solid foundation for renewed unity.
“With this, we can say here in Enugu we laid the foundation for a greater new PDP that is coming,” he said.
He acknowledged the magnitude of the internal challenges but expressed confidence in the collective will of the party’s leadership to resolve them.
“What we have also seen today is that there is nothing insurmountable in the challenge ahead and the spirit, the commitment of all of us, especially our leaders, is very, very inspiring,” he added.
