Forgery Scandal Threatens PDP Convention as Party Faces Deepening Crisis
The upcoming national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been thrown into uncertainty following allegations of signature forgery involving the party’s National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
A major controversy erupted after it was discovered that Anyanwu’s signature was allegedly forged on an official convention notice submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the faction led by the Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum.
The development has intensified the ongoing power tussle within the opposition party, just weeks before its much-anticipated national convention scheduled for next month.
In a petition dated October 15, 2025, and addressed to the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), and the INEC Chairman, Senator Anyanwu disowned the document purportedly bearing his signature.
“My attention has been drawn to a letter to INEC with Ref. No. PDP/DOM/GF.2/Vol. 1M/25–140 dated August 25, 2025, purportedly signed by me,” the letter read. “I wish to categorically state that the said letter was neither signed nor authorized by me. It is shocking to discover that a forged or cloned version of my signature was used.”
The National Secretary called for a full-scale investigation into what he described as a “criminal act” allegedly perpetrated by certain PDP officials and their collaborators within INEC.
He demanded that those involved be identified and prosecuted.
The forgery scandal has further inflamed internal divisions, with Damagum facing strong backlash from key members of the National Working Committee (NWC).
Many have accused him of attempting to manipulate party processes in a desperate bid to retain his position as substantive National Chairman.
Despite mounting opposition, the Damagum-led faction reportedly insists on going ahead with the convention on November 16, even as disputes persist over unresolved congresses in several states.
Some NWC members, however, have cautioned that moving forward under the current tense atmosphere could trigger fresh legal challenges and worsen the party’s internal crisis.
As investigations into the alleged forgery continue, the fate of the PDP’s national convention — and the fragile unity of the main opposition party — hangs in the balance.
