The crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party deepened on Tuesday as governors elected on the party’s platform rejected moves by an Nyesom Wike-backed caretaker committee to reschedule the party’s national convention and dissolve key zonal structures, arguing that the faction lacked the constitutional authority to take such decisions.

The caretaker committee, backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Wike, had rescheduled the party’s national convention, originally slated for March 28, to March 29 and 30.

The Caretaker Committee Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, announced this in Abuja on Tuesday, after its National Working Committee meeting, which dissolved the Southwest, North-West, and Plateau zonal committees.

In response, PDP Governors Seyi Makinde (Oyo State), Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed and others who are backing the Tanimu Turaki (SAN)-led National Working Committee, stated that the Wike group lacks the authority to organise a convention or dissolve zonal committees.

The Turaki-led NWC’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, in an interview with The PUNCH, added that the Wike-aligned caretaker committee is mired in self-deception.

Last Friday, the Federal High Court in Ibadan annulled the PDP National Convention held on November 15, 2025, in Ibadan, Oyo State, and ordered Turaki (SAN) and others to stop acting as the national officers of the party.

Before the ruling, the PDP governors had endorsed the Ibadan Convention, which elected Turaki and other NWC members for a four-year term. However, the FCT Minister, together with his allies, maintained that they were in charge of the party leadership.

Although the governors oversaw a transition from former Chairman Umar Damagum to Turaki before Damagum’s tenure ended on December 9, the Wike-aligned faction formed a 13-member caretaker committee on December 8, with Mohammed Mohammed, Samuel Anyanwu, and others as acting NWC members.

Both the governors’ bloc and the Wike-aligned faction later sought recognition from the Independent National Electoral Commission, but the Commission refused to recognise either group, triggering a series of court cases ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In response to the court ruling, the Turaki-led PDP NWC, through its Publicity Secretary Ini Ememobong, said its legal team had been instructed to immediately file an appeal and explore all available legal options.

Meanwhile, the Wike-backed faction welcomed the ruling restraining Turaki and others from acting as the party’s National Working Committee and vowed to organise a convention to usher in new NWC members.

The Publicity Secretary of the Wike-backed committee assured that the party would be steered back to a winning path.

He stated, “There are certain decisions—major decisions that were reached, far-reaching decisions indeed. And part of the decisions reached from this Caretaker Committee meeting is the adjustment made as regards the date earlier released for the national convention.

“Recall that yesterday, during the NEC meeting, a date was announced for the national convention of the party, which was billed to be held on the 28th and 29th of March. However, after careful consideration of certain factors, the date has been slightly adjusted for the convention to take place on the 29th to the 30th of March.

“Secondly, the NEC working committee has equally dissolved the North-West, South-West, and Plateau State Zonal Committees. The zonal committees of the PDP will have a caretaker committee appointed soon. Furthermore, the timetable approved for the congresses in the states, zonal, and ward congresses will take effect as approved by the NEC.”

Responding to a question about possible reconciliation, the publicity secretary stated that the National Caretaker Working Committee is engaging in wide consultations before announcing the National Convention Planning Committee to accommodate willing participants.

“Yes, it is in the spirit of this that the committee for the convention planning cannot be announced immediately. We want to give room where we can accommodate other party faithfuls who have shown great interest in joining us.

“So, that is why we will allow room for wider consultation. Certainly, there is room for other party members who are returning to be co-opted into the convention planning. We want an all-inclusive convention that every member of the party will be happy with.”

Before the Caretaker Committee entered a closed-door meeting, Acting factional Chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed, affirmed that the party remains united under his leadership and pledged to ensure an all-inclusive national convention.

He stated, “There is no division in the PDP under my leadership. The PDP is united. We are working towards a peaceful and all-inclusive convention of our party. I am sure that members of the party are following developments and know that we are genuinely working to reposition this party.

“The party remains united, committed to bringing its members together, and focused on forging ahead in preparation for future elections.

“This caretaker committee is also working in accordance with the PDP constitution and electoral laws to organise an all-inclusive National Convention. So, as we move forward, our focus will continue to be on inclusiveness, transparency, and ensuring that every member of the party has a voice in shaping the future of the PDP.”

Reacting, Ememobong stated that there would be no convention, affirming that the Southwest, North-West, and Plateau zonal committees have not been dissolved.

“They lacked the capacity and the locus to do so. It is just a movie called Fool’s Paradise, where they are dwelling at the moment. They are enjoying self-deception. Self-deception is the worst form of deception.

“If they have chosen to deceive themselves, we cannot allow them to enjoy themselves. The reality check is that they lack the power to do so. They cannot do it, and it has not been done.”

Meanwhile, the management and staff of the PDP have reaffirmed their full recognition and loyalty to the Turaki (SAN)-led NWC, insisting that the party’s leadership elected at the Ibadan National Convention remains valid despite the recent judgment of the Federal High Court, Ibadan.

The PDP management, in a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by the Acting Director of Administration, Gambo Gaude, the Director-General of the PDI, Dr Edward Ugbada, along with 74 other staff members, maintained that the courts lacked jurisdiction over the internal affairs of the party.

The PDP staff said there was no legal obstacle to the Ibadan Convention, ‘’as it was duly convened by the NEC in line with the PDP Constitution.’’

The statement read, “That the entire Management and Staff of the Peoples Democratic Party reaffirm our recognition, loyalty, and allegiance to the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN-led National Working Committee of our great party, which was duly and legally elected at the party’s National Convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15–16, 2025.

“That we stand by the election of the National Working Committee and all other resolutions reached at the Ibadan National Convention, as they are in the general interest of our party in the exercise of its supremacy over its internal affairs, in line with the Constitution of the PDP and extant judgments of the Supreme Court.

“That the staff of the PDP, as custodians of the PDP Secretariat, will not align with or recognise any other unauthorised leadership apart from the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN-led National Working Committee, because the leadership was validly elected at the National Convention sanctioned by all the legitimate organs of the party.

“That it is already established in a plethora of judgments of the Supreme Court that issues of membership, leadership, congresses, and conventions of a political party are entirely the internal affairs of the party, requiring only the party’s internal mechanisms, over which the courts have no jurisdiction to interfere or interrogate.”

They further stated that the party met the legal requirements of section 84 of the Electoral Act, 2022, by notifying INEC of the National Convention, which was held ‘’with INEC present.’’

The party staff equally noted that the recent Supreme Court ruling in INEC vs SDP & Ors reaffirmed that political parties are only required to notify the Commission, a step the PDP duly completed.

The group stated, “We are also aware that, according to the Electoral Act, the only time a Convention, Congress, or Meeting would be voided under the law is if notice of such events were never given to the Commission, which is not the case in this instance.

“That under section 31(3) of the PDP Constitution, the decision of the National Executive Committee (in this case, to hold the Convention to elect a new leadership of the party) is binding on all organs and members of the Party; a provision which rendered the litigation by the two former members of the party and the consequential judgments against the Convention by Justice Kolawale Omotosho and Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, surprising.

“In the case of the judgment of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, it is clearly inconsistent with the extant judgment of the Supreme Court on the party’s internal affairs, especially as the subject matter is before an appellate court on the ground of want of jurisdiction of the trial court.

“It is of particular concern that Justice Agomoh accused our party of conducting the Convention in disobedience to the order of the court when, in fact, the judge was made aware of the ruling by the Oyo State High Court, which ordered our party to conduct the exercise.”

They expressed surprise that Justice Uche Agomoh, in her judgment, allegedly misapplied the law by granting reliefs not requested against the party, going so far as to attempt the creation of a Caretaker Committee to impose on the party beyond her jurisdictional authority.

They added that the party’s Constitution contains no provision allowing any unelected individual or group to arbitrarily form committees or assign positions to themselves.

The statement added, “As critical stakeholders in the democratic process, we urge the National Judicial Council to caution judges who are complicit in delivering judgments or issuing orders that make them appear as willing tools in the hands of the All Progressives Congress to cripple opposition and destroy our hard-earned democracy.”

In a related development, Governor Makinde, during the commissioning of the state PDP Secretariat at Oke Ado in Ibadan on Tuesday, vowed that they would not allow vagabonds to undermine the party.

The governor said, “In Yorubaland, there is a saying that when a house or compound is peaceful, it is because the unruly elements there have not yet grown up. In the PDP, those unruly elements came of age in 2015. The vagabond had their moment, almost a decade of disruption and recklessness, but they were firmly shown the way out in November 2025. Therefore, there is no longer any room for such behaviour in the PDP.

“Whatever challenges we are witnessing today can be traced back to 2015, when the PDP lost power at the Federal level, and a leadership vacuum emerged. That vacuum created the opportunity for indiscipline to take root. Otherwise, those elements would never have been able to gain a foothold in our great party.

“When I came into government in 2019, and even up to 2023, I found myself aligned with some of these forces. But I have since reflected, repented, and resolved never to allow that again. For anyone to think they can hijack the PDP and use it to install another party in power is completely unacceptable—no, no, no.”

Makinde expressed confidence that the judiciary would rule in PDP’s favour in the ongoing legal disputes stemming from the party’s post-election crisis.

He stated, “Our leaders who spoke earlier repeatedly emphasised one thing: truth. Truth will always prevail. Lies may persist for years, even for decades, but the day the truth finally emerges marks the end of falsehood.

“I have absolute confidence in Nigeria’s judiciary. The courts will do what is right because the judiciary remains the last hope of the common man and will deliver justice to the PDP.

“After the PDP was out of power at the Federal level from 2015, it was in 2019 that a chairman led the party back to power in the state. That chairman is Alhaji Mustapha. In recognition of this legacy, this building will be named, Mustafa House.”

He added that the title deed of the property would be formally handed over to the PDP National Chairman for onward transmission to the party’s Board of Trustees.

“This document before me is the title deed to this property. I will be formally handing it over to the National Chairman, who will in turn transmit it to the Board of Trustees, the body that holds the assets of the PDP in trust for the party,” Makinde said.

Reacting through his media aide, Lere Olayinka, Wike described Makinde as an inconsistent politician who would be ‘’consumed by the fire of political treachery he himself ignited.’’

“He admitted that he was a vagabond. He said he has now repented. So, he is first a vagabond who claimed to have repented. Happy repentance to him from being a vagabond.

“However, in my place, it is said that even when a madman is cured of his madness, there will still remain some traces of madness.

“Therefore, like he has been inconsistent politically, don’t be surprised tomorrow when he returns to being the same vagabond that he claimed to have repented from.

“But the truth is, we understand his fears and worries. We understand that he knows what is coming. But too bad, we can’t help him from being consumed by the fire of political treachery that he ignited.”

A PDP chieftain in Rivers State, Chimenem Wodi, slammed Makinde over his comments against the FCT minister.

Wodi, an ally of the minister, said comparing Makinde to Wike is a mismatch, saying the latter has written his name in the annals of Nigeria’s political history.

He said contrary to Makinde’s claims, Wike has not only strengthened his own house, but there is no faction in Rivers PDP.

Wodi further said politics is about results, noting that Wike has control of all the local government chairmen in the state and the members of the State House of Assembly are with him, even with a sitting governor.

He continued, “If you remember, this was what happened in 1953 when Anthony Enahoro moved one of the greatest motions. And part of it was for the South to survive and for Nigeria to be liberated. So many people opposed it. So, this is not the first time we are seeing this type of swipe. It is expected.

“When you look at the politics in the West and when you look at the man called Makinde, he is still a neophyte and has not achieved much. You can’t compare Makinde to Wike in terms of political strength and clout. Wike has a presence in almost all the states, and that is why he says politics is structured.

“When Makinde says vagabonds have left the party, you can’t take away Wike. Wike has not only brought the PDP in together, he has also brought the APC together, and that is the rainbow coalition in Rivers State.”

He referenced President Bola Tinubu’s assertion that Wike is the political leader of Rivers State, saying, “And the President has said drop impeachment, but he said ‘look, Wike is the political leader and he said follow your leader.’ (The PUNCH)

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