The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is currently in a dilemma over the failure of aspirants to buy the party’s nomination form ahead of the 8 November 2025 election in Anambra State.
The PDP initially scheduled the sale of forms between 24 February and 5 March. It had set 7 March as the deadline for submission of the forms.
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The party’s governorship primary in Anambra is on 5 April. This would be followed by an appeal committee sitting on 8 April.
But PREMIUM TIMES gathered that no aspirant had bought the PDP nomination forms for the primaries as of Thursday.
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Sources told this newspaper on Thursday that many aspirants rescinded their decision to buy forms because of the leadership crisis ravaging the party, particularly at the national level.
“The people who are supposed to mobilise for the possible victory of the party at the general election are fighting one another,” a source close to an aspirant said.
“So how can someone commit his or her N40 million for such a project?” said the source, who asked not to be named.
The PDP pegged the expression of interest and nomination forms for the primaries at N40 million.
Ahead of the last governorship election in the state in 2021, the party had pegged the forms at N26 million. Only female aspirants paid N3 million for the forms at the time.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission warned political parties on Thursday against making sudden changes to their primary schedules.
The electoral body said 12 of the 19 registered political parties for the election had submitted their primary schedules in compliance with section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022.
It reminded the seven remaining parties to submit the required details without further delay, maintaining that the primaries for political parties’ selection of candidates were set to start on 20 March 20 and end on 10 April.
Extension of time
The Chairperson of the PDP in Anambra State, Chidi Chidebe, refuted reports that no aspirants had purchased the PDP forms for the November election.
Mr Chidebe told PREMIUM TIMES that although the forms are purchased at the party’s headquarters in Abuja, he was aware that some aspirants had picked their forms.
“I can tell you it is not true that nobody has purchased our governorship forms.
“I am aware some have purchased, but it will not be good for me to start mentioning names. They’re not candidates yet, but just aspirants,” he said.
However, the PDP chairperson said the party has extended the deadline for the purchase of the forms by six days.
“It is (now) ending on Wednesday, 12 March,” he said of the new deadline for the purchase of the forms.
Debo Ologunagba, the PDP national spokesperson, asked for time to respond to our reporter’s questions.
Mr Ologunagba ended the call when the reporter asked when he could call him back for a response.
Avalanche of crisis
The PDP has been facing a severe leadership crisis, particularly at the national level.
The Chairperson of the party’s Board of Trustees, Adolphus Wabara, was recently expelled in what many perceive to be a continuation of a face-off over the control of the PDP between Mr Wabara and the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike.
Apart from the Messrs Wike and Wabara feud, there is an intense contest about who is the authentic national secretary of the PDP, between Samuel Anyanwu and a former PDP National Youth Leader, Sunday Ude-Okoye.
The matter is currently being argued at various courts, including Nigeria’s Supreme Court where the case is scheduled for hearing on 10 March.
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