The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is once again engulfed in crisis after the discovery of a forged signature belonging to its National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, on an official notice sent to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) regarding the party’s planned national convention.
The revelation has cast fresh uncertainty over the opposition party’s November 16, 2025, convention, deepening long-standing internal divisions.
According to party insiders, INEC received a convention notice on August 29, 2025, bearing what appeared to be Senator Anyanwu’s endorsement. But in a letter dated October 15, 2025, and addressed to INEC, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Director-General of the DSS, Anyanwu flatly disowned the document.
“My attention has been drawn to an official letter to INEC with Ref. No. PDP/DOM/GF.2/Vol. 1M/25 – 140 dated August 25, 2025, purportedly signed by me,” the letter read.
“Regrettably, the quoted letter was never signed, authorized, or known to me. It is shocking to have a forged or cloned version of my signature on the letter.”
The PDP secretary has since called for a full investigation, urging security agencies to identify those behind the alleged forgery and bring them to justice.
Damagum Camp Under Fire
The controversy has triggered renewed scrutiny of acting National Chairman Ambassador Umar Damagum, who is leading the push for the convention. Some members of the National Working Committee (NWC) argue that unresolved congresses in several states, coupled with the signature scandal, make it risky to proceed.
“This is not the time for shortcuts or deceit,” one senior party official told Pulse under anonymity. “If the convention notice is tainted, then the process itself is compromised. Any step built on illegality cannot stand.”
Damagum’s allies, however, insist the convention must go ahead, warning that further delays could weaken the PDP’s preparations for 2027.
Court Steps In
Amid the dispute, the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered all parties to maintain the status quo. Justice James Omotosho, ruling on October 17, 2025, reaffirmed an earlier interim order halting preparations for the convention.
The case was brought by three aggrieved PDP members, including the chairmen of the Imo and Abia State chapters, who argue that the party failed to conduct proper congresses to elect delegates.
Justice Omotosho set October 20 for the hearing of the substantive suit, promising a ruling before the end of the month. “The subsisting order remains in effect,” he said, effectively freezing all convention-related activities until the court decides.
With legal battles looming, allegations of forgery hanging over the process, and divisions within its top ranks, the PDP faces a defining test of cohesion. Whether the November 16 convention proceeds—or collapses under the weight of internal strife—now rests as much on the courts as on the party’s ability to reconcile its warring factions.
