Ben Obi Replaces Mbah as PDP Convention Committee Secretary

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has approved the appointment of Senator Ben Obi as Secretary of the National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC) for the party’s 2025 Elective National Convention.

Obi replaces Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, who held the position before defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC) earlier this week. The convention is scheduled to take place in Ibadan, Oyo State, from November 15 to 16, 2025.

In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said Obi, a veteran politician and former presidential adviser, brings “decades of experience in party administration and national politics” to his new role. The NWC also expressed confidence in the capacity of the NCOC, chaired by Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State, to deliver a successful convention.

Meanwhile, the recent wave of defections among prominent politicians has been attributed to fears of electoral defeat ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Speaking on the development, Umar Sani, media aide to former Vice President Namadi Sambo, said the PDP remains unshaken despite the defection of Governors Mbah and Douye Diri of Bayelsa to the APC. According to him, the crises in the PDP are being instigated by “fifth columnists” outside the party.

“Mbah’s defection will not rattle the PDP; he is swimming against the tide. Enugu has always been a PDP state, and Mbah did not even win that election. The Labour Party actually won,” Sani alleged during an interview.

Similarly, the Forum of PDP State Chairmen has accused the APC of using “undemocratic, desperate and coercive tactics” to destabilise the opposition. In a communiqué issued after an emergency meeting in Abuja, the forum condemned what it called a “systematic assault on democracy” allegedly sponsored by the ruling party.

The meeting, attended by 25 state and FCT chairmen, also addressed internal party discipline and preparations for the upcoming convention. The forum announced the suspension of two state chairmen Austine Nwachukwu (Imo) and Amah Abraham Nnana (Abia) for instituting legal action to halt the convention. Edo State PDP Chairman, Tony Aziegbemi, was appointed as the new forum chairman.

In Osun, PDP chieftain Dr. Muyiwa Oladimeji linked the spate of defections to the lack of ideology in Nigeria’s political system, suggesting that many politicians switch parties merely to secure electoral survival. He dismissed rumours that Governor Ademola Adeleke plans to defect to the APC, accusing the ruling party of spreading falsehoods to mislead voters.

Also reacting, the Northern Support Group of the PDP accused some NWC members of plotting to frustrate preparations for the convention. Coordinator of the group, Yusuf Dingyadi, alleged that certain national officers including the party’s secretary, legal adviser, and organising secretary were backing legal challenges aimed at derailing the exercise.

He urged members to set aside personal ambitions and unite for the survival of the PDP and the preservation of Nigeria’s democracy.