EU, International IDEA Launch Project to Strengthen Civil Society in Nigeria

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

European Union (EU) and International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) have launched CSO Strengthening Bridge (EU CSO-Bridge) project, an initiative designed to enhance the credibility of civil society organisations (CSOs) and improve regulatory and operational environment in Nigeria.

Funded by the EU and implemented by International IDEA, the project will run for 36 months and build on the gains of the recently concluded EU-funded Agents for Citizen-driven Transformation (ACT) Programme.

The project launched on Monday in Abuja aim to create an enabling environment for CSOs to thrive and contribute to Nigeria’s sustainable development agenda, particularly in governance, accountability, and inclusive development.

At the launch, Head of the Governance, Peace, and Migration Section at the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr. Reuben Alba Aguilera, reaffirmed EU’s longstanding commitment to supporting Nigeria’s civil society.

Aguilera described the EU CSO-Bridge Project as a continuation of EU’s efforts to build a sustainable civic space, where CSOs could effectively contribute to democracy and national development.

According to him, “Civil society is essential for any society that hopes to thrive, and their empowerment ensures that governance is inclusive and accountable.”
Head of Programme at International IDEA, Mr. Danladi Plang, said the project was about connecting key stakeholders, regulators, CSOs, sub-national actors, and citizens in a collaborative framework aimed at reform and mutual accountability.

Plang stressed that beyond improving the external regulatory landscape, there was also a strong emphasis on building the internal capacities of CSOs, including their coordination, transparency, and self-regulation.

He highlighted existing regulatory challenges, such as duplication of registration processes at the federal and state levels, and inconsistencies in compliance expectations across government agencies, stating that harmonisation is a key goal of the project.

During the launch, the inaugural Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting was also convened, bringing together representatives from government institutions, civil society, the private sector, and development partners.

PSC is expected to provide strategic oversight and advocacy for necessary reforms that will strengthen the CSO operational environment across Nigeria.
Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Diaspora and NGOs, Senator Anthony Yaro, emphasised the importance of improving the integrity and public perception of CSOs.

Yaro stated that many CSOs faced societal distrust and operational difficulties, which the new initiative sought to address by providing structural and legislative support.

He disclosed that the 10th National Assembly had taken proactive steps by establishing a dedicated interface office to maintain constant communication with CSOs and promptly respond to policy or legal issues affecting them.

Yaro reiterated the significance of coordination mechanisms to amplify the collective voice of CSOs and ensure they could engage constructively with government and other stakeholders.

He acknowledged the increasingly complex global regulatory landscape and emphasised the need for clarity and mutual understanding between regulators and civil society.

Yaro commended the EU on the project to invest nearly four million euros (€4,000,000), equivalent of over N6 billion, in what he described as a “massive investment” in Nigeria’s democratic infrastructure.

While thanking EU for its continued support, despite global trends of shrinking development funding, Aguilera underscored the importance of CSOs not only as development actors but also as custodians of democratic integrity and agents of social progress.

He called on all stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the EU CSO-Bridge Project, which he described as “the beginning of a journey” towards a more inclusive, transparent, and accountable Nigeria.

The EU CSO-Bridge Project is expected to deliver three main outcomes: the establishment of functioning coordination mechanisms at national and state levels, improved CSO capacity for compliance and self-regulation, and a harmonised regulatory framework that facilitates CSO registration and operations.

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September 28, 2025
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PDP Govs Reclaim Control as Party Zones 21 Offices

*North-west to produce national chairman, South-west gets national secretary

*Zoning committee extends deadlines for submission of forms, screening of aspirants
*Fresh crisis looms as Damagum, Anyanwu write conflicting letters to INEC on state congresses

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

As the November 16, 2025, National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scheduled for Ibadan, Oyo State capital, approaches, the governors elected on the party’s platform may have reclaimed their influence and outwitted other stakeholders in the zoning of the party’s offices, THISDAY investigation has revealed.

This is just as the National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC) of the party has extended the deadlines for the submission of completed Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms, as well as the screening of aspirants contesting for offices in the November Elective National Convention of the party.

However, a fresh crisis is brewing in the main opposition party as the National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, have issued conflicting notices to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) regarding the conduct of state congresses in three states.
THISDAY gathered that in the zoning arrangement for 21 offices, backed by the governors, the office of the National Chairman of the PDP was zoned to the North-west, foreclosing the chances of former Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State from clinching the position.

Ortom belongs to the camp of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, which has been clamouring for the position to be retained in the North-central, where the former National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, and Ortom hail from.
By pushing for the position to be retained in the North-central, Wike’s camp, it was learnt, was clearing the coast for Ortom to emerge as the next national chairman of the main opposition party in the November convention.

Investigation revealed that in their bid to outwit the FCT minister’s Integrity Group, the party’s governors and the Ambassador Umar Damagum-led National Working Committee (NWC) pushed the office of the National Chairman to the North-west and the Deputy National Chairman to Ortom’s North-central zone, foreclosing the chances of the former Benue State governor.

With the zoning of the office of the Deputy National chairman of the party to North-central, Ortom is out of the chairmanship race.
In the North-west, the PDP governors are said to be pushing for the emergence of either the former governor of Kano State, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau or the former governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, who is currently the Secretary of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party.

Under the new zoning arrangement, the office of the National Secretary is zoned to the South-west, while the office of the National Organising Secretary, the engine house of the party in all electoral matters, is zoned to the North-east.
According to the comprehensive list sighted by THISDAY, the positions of the National Chairman, Deputy National Auditor, and the National Legal Adviser are micro-zoned to the North-west.

The influential position of National Legal Adviser was previously held by the North-central geopolitical zone.
In the approved list, the positions of Deputy National Chairman (North), National Treasurer, Deputy National Financial Secretary, and Deputy National Women’s Leader are zoned to the North-central.
The North-east is allocated the positions of the National Organising Secretary, National Youth Leader, and Deputy National Publicity Secretary.

The party also assigned the positions of the Deputy National Secretary, National Financial Secretary, National Women Leader, and Deputy National Youth Leader to the South-east.
The party also assigned the positions of the Deputy National Chairman (South), National Publicity Secretary, Deputy National Treasurer, and the Deputy National Legal Adviser to the South-south, while the positions of the National Secretary, National Auditor, and Deputy National Organising Secretary were zoned to the South-west.
However, the zoning arrangement is subject to approval at the party’s National Convention.

Zoning Committee Extends Deadlines for Submission of Forms, Screening of Aspirants
Meanwhile, the zoning committee of the party has extended the deadlines for the submission of completed Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms by the aspirants contesting for offices from the earlier scheduled date of Friday, September 26th, 2025.
In the same vein, the NCOC has also approved the shifting of the date for the screening of aspirants from the earlier scheduled date of Tuesday, September 30, 2025.

In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the party and Secretary of the Sub-Committee of NCOC, Debo Ologunagba, the party said that the extension was necessitated by the need to ensure all necessary arrangements for the smooth conduct of the exercise.
He said that new dates would be communicated in due course, and urged all the aspirants to note the extension and be guided accordingly.

Fresh Crisis Looms as Damagum, Anyanwu Write Conflicting Letters to INEC on State Congresses
In another development, a fresh crisis is brewing in the main opposition party as the National Chairman, Damagum, and the National Secretary, Anyanwu, have issued conflicting notices to the INEC regarding the conduct of state congresses in three states.
In a letter dated September 25, 2025, sighted by THISDAY, Damagum informed INEC that the party’s scheduled congresses in Cross River, Plateau, and Kebbi states — earlier fixed for Saturday, September 27, 2025 — had been postponed due to “unforeseen circumstances and operational logistic challenges.”

In the letter, Damagum stated that a new date for the exercise would be communicated to the electoral body in due course.
“The National Working Committee of our great party hereby postpones the state congresses in Cross River, Plateau, and Kebbi states. A new date will be communicated to the Commission,” the letter read in part.
However, barely 24 hours later, PDP National Secretary, Anyanwu, wrote a counter-letter to INEC dated September 26, insisting that the congresses would proceed as originally scheduled.

“This is to confirm to the commission that the congress will hold as originally scheduled and has not been postponed. The earlier letter signed by the National Chairman should be ignored,” Anyanwu stated.
He further warned that any communication sent to INEC without the signatures of both the National Chairman and National Secretary should not be recognised, stressing that the exercise in the three states “shall hold as earlier scheduled.”
Anyanwu confirmed to THISDAY that he wrote the said letter to INEC, explaining that the National chairman cannot write to INEC without him counter-signing.

The PDP has been grappling with leadership crises, as rival factions and party organs continue to clash over control and decision-making ahead of its elective congress and the 2027 general election.
Both the national chairman and national secretary belong to different camps in the PDP.
Damagum-led NWC is working closely with the PDP governors, while Anyanwu belongs to Wike’s camp.

*North-west to produce national chairman, South-west gets national secretary *Zoning committee extends deadlines for submission of forms, screening of aspirants*Fresh crisis looms as Damagum, Anyanwu write conflicting letters to INEC