The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has approved the composition of the South-South Zonal Caretaker Committee to oversee the party’s affairs in the zone, effective Monday, March 10, 2025.
This move nullifies the outcome of the recent South-South Zonal Congress organized by the National Vice Chairman (South-South), Chief Dan Orbih, which the party dismissed as a mere social gathering.
Despite the NWC’s official postponement of the congress for further consultations, Orbih went ahead to hold a parallel event in Calabar, Cross River State. However, the PDP’s national leadership disavowed the gathering, stating it had no official recognition or legitimacy.
The caretaker committee, constituted in line with the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017), is chaired by Bro. Emma Ogidi. Other members include:
Hon. Nicholas Ayuwa
Barr. Godwin Akpan Udonta
Mrs. Bekewei Ashanti
Idehen Ebomoyi
Dame Vivian Ahanmisi
The secretary of the committee is Chief Damiete Herbert-Miller.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, the NWC’s decision was aimed at preventing a leadership vacuum and ensuring the smooth running of party affairs in the South-South Zone after the expiration of the current Zonal Executive’s tenure on March 9, 2025.
The South-South Zonal Caretaker Committee will oversee the party’s activities for three months or until a new Zonal Executive is elected, in line with the PDP Constitution.
The NWC urged all party leaders, stakeholders, and members in the South-South Zone to adhere to this directive and work together in the overall interest of the party.
Before Orbih’s parallel congress in Calabar, tensions had been brewing within the NWC over allegations that the party’s Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Iliya Damagum, had unilaterally reinstated Orbih, despite his suspension in July 2024 over alleged anti-party activities.
Multiple sources within the NWC expressed outrage, claiming Damagum’s decision was made without consultation and in defiance of a prior party resolution.
Orbih was suspended on July 11, 2024, after being accused of working against the PDP’s interests in the September 21, 2024 Edo State governorship election. At the time, the NWC alleged that Orbih had aligned with former Rivers State Governor and current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, in an attempt to undermine the party’s governorship candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo.
The PDP lost the election, deepening internal divisions.
Following his suspension, the NWC set up a six-member committee, led by Deputy National Chairman (South), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, to investigate the matter. As part of his disciplinary action, Orbih was barred from NWC meetings, stripped of his leadership privileges, and removed from the party’s official WhatsApp communication platform.
However, NWC members were recently shocked to discover that Orbih had been reinstated into the party’s leadership structure without any official announcement or clearance from the investigative committee.
Sources revealed that Damagum, who administers the NWC WhatsApp platform, had secretly re-added Orbih to the group, signaling his quiet return to the PDP’s national leadership. This move reportedly infuriated several NWC members, who argued that Orbih had not been formally cleared of the allegations against him.
Orbih’s return to leadership has not only deepened tensions within the NWC but also exacerbated the crisis in the South-South Zone.
In a strongly worded press statement, Hon. Debo Ologunagba reaffirmed that the NWC had not conducted the South-South Zonal Congress and urged party members, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, and the media to disregard the Calabar gathering.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the PDP states in clear terms that it has not conducted its South-South Zonal Congress, neither is it in any way involved in the said gathering in Calabar.”
The PDP cited specific provisions of its 2017 amended constitution to justify the congress’s postponement:
Section 29(2)(b): Empowers the NWC to act on behalf of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in emergencies.
Section 31(2)(c) and (j): Grants the NEC supervisory authority over party organs, elections, and candidate selection processes.
With this legal backing, the PDP dismissed the Calabar Congress as illegitimate, accusing Orbih’s faction of attempting to undermine the party’s leadership.
For months, the South-South PDP has been embroiled in leadership conflicts, fueled by factional rivalries, defiance of party directives, and internal power struggles.
At the center of the turmoil is Dan Orbih’s political maneuvering, which many believe is backed by Nyesom Wike, who remains at loggerheads with the mainstream PDP leadership.
Meanwhile, the Cross River State chapter of the PDP has also distanced itself from the Calabar Congress, insisting that all official zonal activities must be held at the party’s recognized headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
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