There were indications on Sunday that the scheduled November 15 National Elective Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may hit the rocks as the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, has petitioned security agencies, alleging the forgery of his signature appended to communications relating to the Ibadan convention.
Anyanwu, an ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Inspector-General of Police.
He also petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the same subject, calling for investigations into how his signature appeared on letters emanating from the PDP, since he didn’t sign them.
While Anyanwu’s petitions to the DSS and INEC were dated October 15, 2025, the one to the police was dated October 16, 2025.
In the separate petitions, the secretary claimed not to have co-authored the August 25, 2025, letter the PDP wrote to INEC to inform the electoral umpire about the Ibadan Convention fixed for November 15 -16, 2025.
By existing regulations, both the National Chairman of the party (in this case, Ambassador Umar Damagum) and Anyanwu are to jointly sign such a communication. However, in the unfolding drama, the secretary claims that his signature on the letter to INEC was forged.
The petition to INEC was titled, “RE: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Year 2025 Elective National Convention: Petition Against Forgery and Cloning of My Signature.”
The secretary wrote, “Regrettably, the quoted letter was never signed, authorised, or known to me. It is shocking to have a forged/cloned version of my signature on the letter.
“I therefore request that this criminal conduct by officers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and their collaborators within INEC be investigated and the culprits prosecuted.
“Attached herewith is an excerpt of the forged document for ease of reference.”
In the petition to the DSS, where he specifically demanded the arrest and prosecution of the alleged forgers, Anyanwu stated, “My attention has been drawn to the above-titled official letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with Ref. No. PDP/DOM/GF.2/Vol. 1M/25-140 dated Monday, August 25, 2025, purportedly signed by me.
“Regrettably, the quoted letter was never signed, authorised, or known to me. It is shocking to have a forged/cloned version of my signature on the letter.
“I therefore request that this criminal conduct by officers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and their collaborators within INEC be investigated and the culprits prosecuted.”
In the IGP’s petition, Anyanwu also wrote,
“My attention has been drawn to the above-titled official letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with Ref. No. PDP/DOM/GF.2/Vol. 1M/25-140 dated Monday, August 25, 2025, purportedly signed by me.
“Regrettably, the quoted letter was never signed, authorised, or known to me. It is shocking to have a forged/cloned version of my signature on the letter.
“I therefore request that this criminal conduct by officers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and their collaborators within INEC be investigated and the culprits prosecuted.
“Attached herewith is an excerpt of the forged document for ease of reference.”
In the past few weeks, there has been uncertainty over the fate of the convention due to unresolved disputes between the majority members of the National Working Committee (NWC) and the allies of the FCT minister over the South-South zonal leadership of the PDP, the cases of congresses in Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, and a number of other states.
Similarly, the micro-zoning of offices ahead of the convention has not settled well with some stakeholders.
Amid the development, Honourable Austin Nwachukwu, the Imo state chapter chairman, and his counterpart from Abia state, Honourable Amah Nnana, filed a suit at an Abuja Federal High Court, seeking to stop the convention.
The matter comes up on October 20 for a substantive hearing before Justice James Omotosho.
There was more drama before the Court last week when the NWC disowned the party’s Legal Adviser, Mr Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN), saying that he was not the appointed representative of the PDP in the suit.
In place of Ajibade, the party named Chief Chris Uche as its lawyer, while the latter continued to insist that he would be the legally authorised lawyer for the party.
In recent times, the party’s chairman, Damagum, and Anyanwu have written counter letters to INEC, each stating different positions on the state of affairs in the PDP.
Nigerian Tribune made attempts to get the reactions of the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Honourable Debo Ologunagba, on Sunday night, but had yet to return his call as of the time of filing the report.
