Ben Obi replaces Mbah as PDP convention committee scribe

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

In the face of a gale of defections and realignments in the political camps, many have attributed the fear of electoral loss to the development.

But Umar Sani, Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to former Vice President Namadi Sambo, noted that the PDP was not bothered by the ongoing crises within the party despite the official defection of the Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, and his Bayelsa counterpart, Douye Diri, from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Consequently, the Forum of State Chairmen of PDP rebuked APC, accusing it of employing “undemocratic, desperate and coercive tactics” to destabilise Nigeria’s opposition ranks.

On the other hand, the Northern Support Group of PDP accused some NWC members of attempting to sabotage preparations for the November convention.

Obi replaces Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, who occupied that position before his defection to the APC on Tuesday.

The convention is scheduled to hold from November 15 to 16, 2025, in Ibadan, Oyo State.

In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, who also serves as Secretary of the Publicity and Communication Sub-Committee of the NCOC, stated that the appointment was ratified by the NWC on behalf of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.

The statement noted that Obi, a seasoned politician and former Presidential Adviser, “brings to the role decades of experience in party administration and national politics.