INEC Boss Yakubu Throws Ball To PDP Court Over National Secretary Crisis

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has urged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to resolve the ongoing confusion over who holds the position of its National Secretary.

Yakubu made this appeal during a closed-door session with the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) and key stakeholders in Abuja on Tuesday.

He noted that the party had approached the Commission in a bid to address its internal leadership dispute — a situation similar to a recent engagement with the Labour Party.

At the meeting, PDP Acting National Chairman, Iliya Umar Damagun, explained that their aim was to clarify the National Secretary’s status, especially following INEC’s response to the party’s request for the Commission to oversee its 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

However, Professor Yakubu pointed out inconsistencies in the PDP’s communication with INEC. He said the party’s correspondence failed to meet the Commission’s standard — requiring joint signatures from both the chairman and secretary.

“We need clarity on who the National Secretary is,” Yakubu said. “Over the past few months, we’ve received letters from the party identifying Mr. Ude Okoye as secretary. Later, the party said it was Senator Samuel Anyanwu. Then it reverted back to Okoye, and again to Anyanwu. The latest letter didn’t mention a secretary at all.”

In response, Damagun acknowledged the inconsistencies and expressed appreciation for the opportunity to clarify the situation. He explained that the party had been entangled in legal battles since early last year, which culminated in a Supreme Court judgment involving INEC.

“We’re here today with representatives from various party organs to resolve this matter,” Damagun said. “The NEC mandated me to sign the recent letter to prevent further controversy, and we received INEC’s response accordingly.”