A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Segun Showunmi, has warned in Abuja that the party could lose its legal standing if it fails to take urgent steps before the tenure of the current National Working Committee, NWC, expires on December 8, 2025. He raised the concern through an emergency plan he shared on social media, saying the party is running out of time to avoid a leadership vacuum that may force the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to stop recognising its leadership structure.
Showunmi said the PDP is in one of its most risky internal moments as multiple deadlines are closing in at the same time. He warned that the party has between 48 and 72 hours to begin corrective actions or risk what he called a self-caused legal breakdown. He noted that once the deadline passes, even external intervention may not save the party from losing its organisational footing.
The warning comes shortly after the disputed national convention held on November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, where Kabiru Turaki was announced as National Chairman. Instead of uniting the party, the event has opened new questions about legitimacy, deepening the internal division.
The faction loyal to Senator Samuel Anyanwu, which is politically linked to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has already taken the matter to court to challenge the entire convention. Former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, has also filed a separate case questioning the process and outcome. With these cases moving at the same time, the party faces growing pressure to follow its internal rules strictly to avoid invalidation by INEC or the courts.
Showunmi said he does not recognise the Turaki-led leadership. He explained that the Damagum-led NWC will legally cease to exist after December 8, yet the Electoral Act still requires a 21-day notice to INEC before any national election or convention. He added that the National Executive Committee, NEC, also needs seven days’ notice before it can meet, and with the Board of Trustees not in place, the party has no stabilising group to guide a smooth transition.
He urged the National Chairman to call for a NEC meeting within 24 hours. If he refuses, he said two-thirds of NEC members have the power to demand the meeting in writing. If there is still no response, he said the NEC can meet under the doctrine of necessity, record the refusal, and take the decisions needed to prevent a collapse in leadership.
Showunmi also advised the party to send early notice to INEC showing that it is preparing for leadership transition, even if the final date will be confirmed later. He said this step is important to avoid a technical violation that could nullify any future leadership process.
He called on PDP governors, senior figures and NEC elders to begin emergency talks to avoid empty meetings, clashing gatherings, or disputes that may weaken the party further.
In the plan he proposed, the NEC is expected to approve a transition timetable, decide how the leadership should function after December 8 by either extending the NWC’s tenure briefly, forming a caretaker committee, or keeping the NWC for administrative duties only. He also suggested restoring the Board of Trustees to bring balance back into the system.
He said the Legal Adviser must prepare all documents, notices and attendance records to withstand any court challenge, while the Publicity Secretary should release a communication plan to educate members and prevent confusion.
Showunmi said the party has 30 days to secure a recognised interim leadership, an INEC-accepted transition timetable, a restored Board of Trustees and a fixed convention date. He warned that failure to act could leave the PDP without recognised leaders, unable to call valid meetings and open to court orders that could halt its operations completely.