The protracted leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a dramatic new turn, with zonal chairmen of the party signalling their readiness to assume interim national leadership should the courts uphold the expulsion of National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and nullify key conventions tied to his actions.

As rival factions continue to trade legal blows, several zonal leaders confided in Sunday PUNCH that they are prepared to invoke the doctrine of necessity to prevent a total leadership vacuum.

They plan to appoint an acting National Chairman and acting National Secretary from among themselves and other surviving National Working Committee members whose tenures remain intact.

One zonal chairman, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the time had come for decisive internal intervention to halt the endless crises that have weakened the main opposition party.

“It is high time we put a final stop to all these crises. The zonal chairmen are not just there; we are part of the NWC and we have the mandate to stabilise the party,” the chairman stated.

He added, “While not predicting the outcome of the pending Supreme Court ruling on Anyanwu’s legitimacy to organise the March 30, 2026 convention, NWC members, particularly the zonal chairmen, will step in to offer national leadership in an acting capacity.

“If the court upholds Anyanwu’s expulsion and the nullification of the Ibadan convention, it means there will be a leadership vacuum. Anyanwu, as an expelled member of the PDP, cannot act for or on behalf of the party. You cannot build something on nothing. Since he wrote INEC to notify the commission of the Wike-backed convention, the court may declare his actions a nullity if he is no longer a party member.

“If both conventions are nullified, then we will have to step in. What I mean is that the zonal chairmen and other NWC members whose tenure have not expired will come together and appoint, among ourselves, an acting National Chairman and National Secretary. Two of us have discussed this, and we need to step up efforts in that direction.”

Another zonal chairman echoed the sentiment, noting that providing leadership at such a critical moment would serve the best interest of the party.

“We don’t know what the court will say about the two conventions, so it may be premature to make plans. But despite that, NWC members are constitutionally recognised, and our functions are clearly spelt out.

“A doctrine of necessity may arise from these legal issues. If we do not have any legally recognised leadership, then steps may be taken to provide direction for the party. But we must wait and not preempt the court,” he said.

However, the North-East Zonal Chairman, Babangida Maddibo, counselled restraint.

“Let us wait for the outcome of the Supreme Court on the cases. We shouldn’t put the cart before the horse. When we get to the bridge, we will cross it,” Maddibo told Sunday PUNCH.

Turaki faction writes INEC

The zonal leaders’ positioning comes against the backdrop of fresh pressure mounted by the Tanimu Turaki-led faction on the Independent National Electoral Commission.

In a strongly worded letter dated April 16, 2026, and addressed to INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, the faction’s counsel, Abdullahi Ibrahim, SAN, demanded the immediate derecognition of Anyanwu as a party member and National Secretary.

The letter drew INEC’s attention to the January 12, 2026 judgment of the Federal Capital Territory High Court delivered by Justice Yusuf Halilu in Suit No. FCT/HC/CV/1050/2025, which dismissed Anyanwu’s suit and affirmed his expulsion from the PDP.

The Turaki faction argued that Anyanwu ceased to be a member of the party from the date of his expulsion and therefore lacked the competence to act on its behalf in any capacity.

The counsel emphasised that the filing of a notice of appeal on April 10, 2026, does not constitute a stay of execution, meaning the High Court judgment remains subsisting and enforceable under Section 287(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

The letter read in part, “Senator Samuel Anyanwu has ceased to be a member and officer of the Peoples Democratic Party and has no competence to act on behalf of the party in any capacity whatsoever since his expulsion… By implication, the judgment dismissing his case remains subsisting and in force, and the commission has a constitutional obligation to enforce, comply with, and implement the judgment… even without prompting from the Peoples Democratic Party.”

The faction described INEC’s continued recognition of Anyanwu as an affront to the judiciary and urged the commission to expunge all recognitions granted to him since January 12, 2026, including any correspondences, notices, and his listing on the INEC portal as PDP National Secretary.

The crisis traces back to March 10, 2025, when the PDP’s National Disciplinary Committee recommended Anyanwu’s expulsion for alleged anti-party activities.

This was reportedly ratified by the party leadership at the time.

On November 15, 2025, during the controversial Ibadan national convention, the PDP under then Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum expelled Anyanwu alongside prominent figures such as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike and former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose for similar reasons.

Courts later nullified the Ibadan convention.

Anyanwu, aligned with the Wike faction, approached the FCT High Court in Suit No. CV/1050/2025 seeking redress.

On January 12, 2026, Justice Halilu dismissed the suit in its entirety.

Undeterred, Anyanwu filed an appeal on April 10, 2026, at the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, challenging the High Court ruling.

Despite the legal cloud, Anyanwu, acting in his capacity as National Secretary, played a pivotal role in organising the Wike-backed national convention held on March 29-30, 2026, in Abuja.

That convention produced Abdulrahman Mohammed as National Chairman and retained Anyanwu as National Secretary.

INEC subsequently recognised the Mohammed-led National Working Committee and updated its records accordingly.

Wike camp fires back

The Wike-aligned faction has pushed back strongly, describing media reports on Anyanwu’s expulsion as misleading.

In a statement on Saturday, the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, insisted that no valid suspension or expulsion ever took effect.

He explained that the Tom Ikimi Disciplinary Committee only made a recommendation for suspension, which was never reviewed, adopted, or ratified by either the National Working Committee or the National Executive Committee.

“The suit, which was first initiated at the FCT High Court, Abuja, was filed to challenge the competence and proceedings of the Disciplinary Committee previously chaired by Mr. Tom Ikimi, who has since left the PDP,” the statement noted.

Mohammed emphasised that the committee was constituted in violation of Chapter 10, Article 57(1) of the PDP constitution, rendering its recommendations non-binding. He added that the FCT High Court judgment did not affirm any suspension or expulsion, as that was never the core issue before the court; rather, the suit was struck out partly on jurisdictional grounds concerning internal party discipline.

The faction further clarified that the appeal filed on April 10 was “inadvertently” lodged and has since been directed to be withdrawn immediately, as it was no longer necessary. It maintained that the Abuja convention of March 29-30, 2026, was conducted with full legal backing in line with valid court judgments and was duly monitored by INEC.

Potential collapse of structures

Speaking on the Turaki faction’s letter to INEC, its spokesperson Ini Ememobong warned of dire consequences if Anyanwu’s expulsion is upheld.

“The so-called caretaker committee is in limbo… If the court upholds Anyanwu’s expulsion, it would mean everything built on him will collapse like a pack of cards. It affects the so-called National Working Committee,” Ememobong said.

He pointed out that Anyanwu signed critical notices to INEC, including those for NEC meetings and the convention itself. “So everything will collapse on them,” he added.

Legal experts, who spoke with Sunday PUNCH on condition of anonymity, largely agreed that an upheld expulsion would pose serious challenges.

A Lagos-based Senior Advocate of Nigeria described it as common sense.

He said, “Someone who is not part of a family cannot act on behalf of that family. If his expulsion is upheld… then all his actions may be nullified because an expelled member no longer has legal standing within the party.”

Another lawyer, however, cautioned against hasty conclusions, stressing the importance of due process.

He said, “Were the processes leading to the reported expulsion transparent? Was he given a fair hearing? Were all legal requirements followed? These are critical questions.”