• 11 out of 17 National Working Committee (NWC) members have disowned Acting National Chairman Amb. Umar Damagum and National Secretary Sen. Samuel Anyanwu.
• The dispute centers around legal representation in a pending Supreme Court appeal.
• NWC members claim Damagum did not have authorization to appoint a lawyer on behalf of the party.

The leadership crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has intensified as 11 members of the National Working Committee (NWC) have publicly rejected the actions of Acting National Chairman Amb. Umar Damagum and National Secretary Sen. Samuel Anyanwu. The controversy surrounds Damagum’s decision to appoint a lawyer to represent the party in a pending Supreme Court appeal without proper authorization.

Damagum had written to the chambers of Dr. J Y Musa SAN and Co. on December 20, 2024, instructing them to represent the party in the appeal. However, NWC members countered that Damagum did not have the authority to make such a decision on behalf of the party. In a letter addressed to the President of the Court of Appeal, the NWC members urged the court to disregard Damagum’s request, emphasizing that the NWC did not authorize the appointment of Dr. Musa as the party’s legal representative.