…PDP governors had openly endorsed the Ibadan Convention
ABUJA, NIGERIA- The iNews Times | The internal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took a sharper turn on Tuesday as governors elected on the party’s platform firmly rejected attempts by a caretaker committee aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to alter the date of the party’s national convention and dismantle key zonal structures.
The governors, who back the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN)-led National Working Committee (NWC), argued that the Wike-backed caretaker committee lacks both the constitutional authority and legitimacy to convene a national convention or dissolve zonal committees of the party.
The caretaker committee had earlier announced a shift in the PDP’s national convention from March 28 to March 29 and 30. The announcement was made in Abuja by its Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, following a meeting described as that of the National Working Committee, during which the Southwest, North-West and Plateau zonal committees were also declared dissolved.
However, governors including Oyo State’s Seyi Makinde and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed dismissed the moves, insisting that the committee had no legal standing to take such far-reaching decisions. They maintained that only the Turaki-led NWC, elected at the party’s Ibadan National Convention, has the mandate to organise party activities.
Speaking exclusively to The iNews Times, the National Publicity Secretary of the Turaki-led NWC, Ini Ememobong, described the actions of the Wike-aligned faction as “self-deception,” stressing that there would be no convention under an unauthorised body and that the zonal committees allegedly dissolved remain intact.
The dispute follows last Friday’s judgment of the Federal High Court in Ibadan, which nullified the PDP National Convention held on November 15, 2025, and ordered Turaki and other NWC members to stop parading themselves as national officers of the party. Prior to the ruling, PDP governors had openly endorsed the Ibadan Convention, which produced Turaki and other officials for a four-year tenure.
Despite this, Wike and his allies continued to assert control over the party’s leadership, forming a 13-member caretaker committee on December 8, a day before the expiration of the tenure of former chairman Umar Damagum. Both factions subsequently sought recognition from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), but the electoral body declined to recognise either group, a development that sparked multiple court cases ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In reaction to the Ibadan court ruling, the Turaki-led NWC announced that it had instructed its legal team to immediately file an appeal and exhaust all available legal remedies. Conversely, the Wike-backed faction welcomed the judgment restraining Turaki and other NWC members and vowed to proceed with plans to organise a convention to elect a new party leadership.
Defending the caretaker committee’s decisions, Jungudo Mohammed said the adjustment of the convention date and the dissolution of the zonal committees were outcomes of “far-reaching decisions” taken in the interest of repositioning the party. He also disclosed that caretaker committees would soon be appointed to replace the dissolved zonal structures and that congress timetables earlier approved by the NEC would stand.
Mohammed added that wide consultations were ongoing to ensure an all-inclusive convention, noting that the delay in announcing the Convention Planning Committee was deliberate to accommodate returning party members.
Similarly, Acting factional Chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed, insisted that the PDP remains united under his leadership and pledged to organise a peaceful and inclusive convention in line with the party’s constitution and electoral laws.
But Ememobong countered these claims, insisting that the caretaker committee lacks the capacity and locus to act on behalf of the PDP. He described the situation as “a movie of self-deception,” stressing that no valid decision had been taken to dissolve any zonal structure.
Amid the leadership tussle, the PDP’s management and staff publicly reaffirmed their loyalty to the Turaki-led NWC, insisting that the Ibadan Convention remains valid despite the Federal High Court ruling. In a statement signed by Acting Director of Administration Gambo Gaude, PDI Director-General Dr Edward Ugbada and 74 other staff members, the party officials argued that the courts lack jurisdiction over the internal affairs of political parties.
The staff maintained that the convention was duly convened by the NEC in line with the PDP Constitution, with INEC properly notified and present, as required under Section 84 of the Electoral Act, 2022. They also cited Supreme Court precedents affirming that party leadership and conventions are internal matters beyond judicial interference.
They further expressed concern over what they described as judicial overreach, alleging that reliefs not sought by litigants were granted and warning against attempts to impose unelected leadership on the party.
The crisis also spilled into open political exchanges. Speaking at the commissioning of the new Oyo State PDP Secretariat in Ibadan, Governor Makinde declared that the party would no longer tolerate “vagabonds” undermining its stability. He traced the PDP’s internal challenges to the leadership vacuum that followed its loss of federal power in 2015, expressing confidence that the judiciary would ultimately rule in the party’s favour.
Makinde’s comments drew sharp reactions from Wike’s camp. Through his media aide, Lere Olayinka, the FCT minister described Makinde as inconsistent and warned that he would be consumed by the political crisis he allegedly helped create.
Adding to the war of words, a Rivers State PDP chieftain and Wike ally, Chimenem Wodi, dismissed Makinde’s remarks as misplaced, arguing that Wike’s political influence remains unmatched within the party. Wodi insisted there is no factional crisis in Rivers PDP and pointed to Wike’s control of local government structures and legislative backing as evidence of his political clout.
As legal battles intensify and party factions harden their positions, The iNews Times understands that the PDP’s internal power struggle is far from over, with its outcome likely to shape the party’s fortunes ahead of the 2027 general elections.
