The crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a new turn as the party’s National Disciplinary Committee (NDC) has recommended the expulsion of Samuel Anyanwu.
Anyanwu, a close associate of former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, is accused of working against the party’s interests.
A letter dated March 10 and submitted to PDP Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum on March 11 stated that Anyanwu ignored multiple invitations to respond to a petition against him.
The petition, filed by the party’s Young Generation Caucus, sighted by News About Nigeria accused him of disrupting party activities.
According to the NDC, testimonies and evidence presented by petitioners, including Hon. Afolabi Adekanbi and Dr. Alex Adum, showed that Anyanwu engaged in actions that violated the PDP Constitution.
He was specifically accused of bringing security agents and political thugs to interfere with party activities at the PDP National Headquarters in Abuja on January 29 and February 1, 2025.
As a result, the NDC recommended to the National Executive Committee (NEC) that Anyanwu should be expelled from the party.
The PDP has been struggling with internal conflicts since the 2023 presidential election, leading to allegations of anti-party activities and disciplinary actions against some members.
To address these issues, the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) set up the disciplinary committee on August 21, 2024.
Despite efforts to resolve the crisis, the situation has worsened.
A leadership dispute has emerged between Anyanwu and former National Youth Leader Sunday Ude-Okoye, both of whom claim the position of PDP National Secretary.
While Ude-Okoye has the backing of the PDP Board of Trustees and the Governors’ Forum, led by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, the conflict remains unresolved.
Anyanwu was summoned to appear before the disciplinary committee on February 12, 2025, along with former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom and ten others.
However, they did not show up.
Even after receiving another hearing notice on March 4, Anyanwu failed to attend, citing legal reasons and claiming the matter was already before the Supreme Court.
The NDC dismissed his claim, stating that he provided no court documents to support his position.
Reacting to the recommendation, Anyanwu rejected the move, insisting that it would not stand.
He argued that he had never been formally contacted and that a previous meeting had been adjourned to April 4.
He dismissed the process as illegitimate.
