The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), demanding an investigation into Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Hon. Abdulrahman Mohammed over allegations that they submitted false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) regarding the party's leadership.
Petition Details and Alleged False Letter
The petition, filed by Ogbeide Associates, solicitors to the PDP, centers on a letter dated November 3, 2025, which was addressed to INEC. According to the petition, the letter allegedly claimed that the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) had suspended Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum as Acting National Chairman and appointed Hon. Abdulrahman Mohammed as his replacement.
The law firm argued that this claim was inconsistent with the resolutions reached at the party's 608th Emergency NWC meeting held on November 1, 2025. The meeting resolved to suspend Senator Anyanwu and three other party officers over alleged anti-party activities. The petition stated that no resolution, minutes, or attendance record exists to support claims that the NWC suspended Damagum or appointed Mohammed as acting chairman.
Attendance Record and Court Judgments
The petition further claimed that the official attendance record of the meeting showed that Anyanwu was absent while Mohammed attended. It alleged that Mohammed had firsthand knowledge of the decisions taken before the disputed letter was sent to INEC. Ogbeide Associates also referenced a Federal High Court judgment delivered on October 10, 2024, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/579/2024, which it said recognized Damagum as Acting National Chairman and restrained INEC from acting on documents not bearing his signature.
According to the petition, Senator Anyanwu had forwarded the judgment to INEC in November 2024 for compliance. It further noted that the Court of Appeal, in a judgment delivered on March 9, 2026, affirmed the NWC's suspension of Anyanwu.
Call for Investigation and Urgency
Beyond seeking an investigation into Anyanwu and Mohammed, the petition urged the police to examine how INEC handled the November 3, 2025 letter despite allegedly being in possession of both the court judgment and the NWC's suspension resolution. “This petition is not about personalities. It is about whether public institutions can be misled with documents that do not reflect the true position of internal party processes, and whether such conduct will be investigated as the law requires,” counsel to the petitioner said.
The law firm called on the Nigeria Police Force to treat the matter with urgency, saying the petitioner is prepared to provide relevant court judgments and internal party records to support the investigation.
