PDP National Secretary Backs Cross River Congress Despite NWC Postponement
The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepened as the party’s National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, endorsed the Cross River State chapter to proceed with its congress scheduled for today September 27,2025.
The endorsement directly contradicts the National Working Committee (NWC), which earlier this week announced a postponement of the congress, citing the need to reconcile aggrieved members.
In a letter reportedly sent to stakeholders in the state, Anyanwu, who oversees the administrative operations of the party, affirmed that the state chapter had fulfilled all necessary requirements to hold the exercise and should therefore proceed.
The move aligns the national leadership with stakeholders in Cross River who have insisted the congress must go ahead as planned, despite the NWC’s directive. It also raises fresh questions about the scope of authority between the NWC and the party’s national officers.
The controversy follows Wednesday’s NWC announcement, via the National Publicity Secretary, of the congress’s postponement and the dissolution of the State Working Committee (SWC) over the expiration of its tenure.
However, the purportedly dissolved SWC, led by Venatius Ikem, rejected the directive, insisting the NWC lacked the constitutional authority to postpone the exercise. Ikem maintained that the congress would hold as scheduled, a stance now reinforced by Anyanwu’s backing.
With the national secretariat siding with Cross River stakeholders, today’s congress appears set to go ahead, raising the prospect of parallel activities and further divisions within the PDP.
Observers say the unfolding drama underscores the fragile unity of the party ahead of crucial political contests and could test the strength of its internal conflict-resolution mechanisms.
