The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party has approved the formation of a South-South Zonal Caretaker Committee to manage the party’s affairs in the region, effective Monday, March 10, 2025.
This decision comes in the wake of the controversial South-South Zonal Congress organized by the National Vice Chairman for the South-South, Chief Dan Orbih, which the party had previously described as a “social gathering” without official recognition.
Despite an official postponement of the South-South Zonal Congress for further consultations, Orbih went ahead with organizing a parallel event in Calabar, Cross River State. However, the PDP’s national leadership swiftly disavowed the event, labeling it as illegitimate and outside the party’s official channels.
The new caretaker committee, which has been established in accordance with the amended 2017 Constitution of the PDP, will be led by Bro. Emma Ogidi as chairman. Other members include Hon. Nicholas Ayuwa, Barr. Godwin Akpan Udonta, Mrs. Bekewei Ashanti, Idehen Ebomoyi, and Dame Vivian Ahanmisi, while Chief Damiete Herbert-Miller will serve as secretary.
In a statement issued by Hon. Debo Ologunagba, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, the NWC explained that the decision was made to avoid a leadership vacuum in the South-South Zone and ensure the continuous smooth running of party activities after the expiration of the current Zonal Executive’s tenure on Sunday, March 9, 2025. The caretaker committee will oversee the region’s party activities for three months or until a new Zonal Executive is elected in accordance with the PDP constitution.
The NWC also urged all party leaders, stakeholders, and members in the South-South Zone to abide by the decision and continue working towards the party’s collective interests.
The controversy surrounding Orbih deepened prior to the Calabar congress, as tensions escalated within the NWC. This followed accusations that the party’s Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Iliya Damagum, had unilaterally reinstated Orbih into the leadership despite his suspension in July 2024 over alleged anti-party activities. Sources within the NWC expressed outrage over Damagum’s action, which was done without consultation and contrary to previous party resolutions.
Orbih had been suspended in July 2024 following allegations that he undermined the party’s interests during the Edo State governorship election by allegedly forming an alliance with former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike. The PDP lost the election, exacerbating internal divisions. A committee, led by Deputy National Chairman (South) Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, was formed to investigate the allegations. As part of his suspension, Orbih was barred from attending NWC meetings and removed from the party’s official WhatsApp platform.
However, NWC members were shocked to learn that Orbih had been quietly reinstated into the party’s leadership structure, without any formal announcement or resolution from the investigative committee. Reports suggested that Damagum had secretly added Orbih back to the NWC WhatsApp group, prompting further dissatisfaction among NWC members who believed that Orbih had not been cleared of the allegations against him.
Orbih’s return to leadership has exacerbated tensions in the South-South zone, where factional rivalries and defiance of party directives have fueled ongoing conflict. After the Calabar congress, Ologunagba issued a strongly worded statement reiterating that the PDP 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 event in Calabar.
“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,” Ologunagba declared. The PDP emphasized that the postponement of the congress was backed by specific sections of its 2017 amended constitution, which empower the NWC to act in emergencies and grants the National Executive Committee (NEC) supervisory authority over party affairs.
The party dismissed the Calabar congress as illegitimate, accusing Orbih’s faction of attempting to undermine the PDP leadership. The South-South PDP has been embroiled in a leadership crisis for several months, with Orbih’s power play, allegedly backed by Nyesom Wike, at the heart of the turmoil. The Cross River State chapter of the PDP also distanced itself from the Calabar congress, insisting that all official zonal activities be conducted at the party’s recognized headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
