The Peoples Democratic Party’s crisis worsened on Tuesday when governors chosen on the party’s platform rejected attempts by a caretaker committee supported by Nyesom Wike to reschedule the party’s national convention and disband important zonal structures, claiming the faction lacked the constitutional authority to make 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.
