By John Umeh
The deepening leadership crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took a dramatic turn on Tuesday after a faction linked to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, announced sweeping changes that have further fractured the opposition party.
The Wike-aligned group dissolved several key party structures and unilaterally adjusted the timetable for the PDP’s proposed national convention, triggering strong resistance from the party’s recognised leadership and administrative staff.
Speaking in Abuja after a meeting of the faction’s National Caretaker Committee, its spokesperson, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, disclosed that zonal party structures in the North-West, South-West and Plateau State had been disbanded. He said caretaker committees would now take charge of party affairs in those areas pending further directives.
The group also shifted the national convention to March 29 and 30, slightly altering the dates earlier announced by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC). Mohammed said the change followed a review of internal developments and was aimed at ensuring an orderly convention process.
He added that while the convention dates had been adjusted, the previously approved timetable for ward, local government, state and zonal congresses would remain intact.
PDP staff push back, insist on Turaki leadership
In a swift response, senior management and staff of the PDP, alongside officials of the Peoples Democratic Institute (PDI), rejected the authority of the caretaker faction and reaffirmed their allegiance to the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC).
In a joint statement, the party’s administrative leadership maintained that Turaki and his team emerged from a valid national convention held in Ibadan in November 2025, which they described as constitutionally and legally conducted.
They dismissed a recent Federal High Court ruling in Ibadan that has been cited by rival factions, arguing that it does not nullify the authority of the current NWC. According to them, issues relating to party leadership and conventions are internal matters protected by long-established Supreme Court rulings on party autonomy.
The staff also said the PDP complied fully with the Electoral Act by notifying the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the Ibadan convention, stressing that INEC’s presence satisfied all legal requirements.
They further accused the court of granting reliefs that were not sought by the claimants, including what they described as an attempt to impose a caretaker structure not recognised by the PDP Constitution.
Makinde draws red line
Amid the turmoil, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde issued a firm warning that the PDP would not be allowed to descend into chaos or be weakened for the benefit of rival political parties.
Makinde spoke in Ibadan during the unveiling of a new Oyo State PDP Secretariat donated by him to the party’s national leadership. The event was attended by members of the NWC and the party’s Board of Trustees.
The governor accused certain individuals of exploiting the party’s loss of power in 2015 to entrench themselves and undermine its unity. He said such forces had already been expelled at the November 2025 national convention and would no longer be tolerated.
Makinde also criticised Wike’s continued involvement in PDP affairs, arguing that anyone unable to stabilise their home state chapter had no moral standing to dictate the party’s direction nationally.
He expressed confidence that ongoing court cases would ultimately be resolved in favour of the party’s recognised leadership, insisting that the judiciary would not allow internal democracy to be subverted.
Pressure mounts on party elders
As the standoff intensifies, calls have grown louder for the PDP’s elders to step in. Former National Ex-Officio member David Vaughan appealed to the party’s founding fathers and the Board of Trustees (BoT) to urgently intervene before the crisis spirals further.
Vaughan warned that continued infighting could severely damage the PDP’s chances ahead of the 2027 general elections, recalling that unresolved disputes had already cost the party dearly in 2023.
Echoing similar sentiments, party chieftain Tony Ehilebo accused Wike of fuelling the crisis, alleging that unresolved grievances from the 2022 presidential primary have continued to destabilise the party.
With factions digging in and tensions rising, the PDP now faces one of the most critical moments in its history—caught between legal battles, internal rebellion and growing fears that prolonged disunity could weaken its role as Nigeria’s leading opposition party.
