The internal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party escalated on Thursday after the Independent National Electoral Commission recognised a caretaker committee aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The development sparked outrage within the camp loyal to PDP governors, led by Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, and chaired by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN), who currently heads the party’s National Working Committee.
Tensions rose after INEC invited the Wike-backed caretaker committee, led by Abdulrahman Mohammed, with Samuel Anyanwu as secretary, to its quarterly consultative meeting with political parties in Abuja.
Our correspondent observed that Mohammed occupied a front-row seat labelled “PDP Chairman,” while Anyanwu sat behind him on a seat designated “PDP National Secretary,” signalling INEC’s formal recognition of the faction.
Speaking with journalists after the closed-door meeting, Anyanwu said the committee attended as the legally recognised leadership of the PDP, insisting that recent court judgments had resolved the party’s leadership dispute.
He declared that the caretaker committee was fully in control of the party’s affairs and ready to reposition the PDP ahead of future elections, adding that the party would field candidates in the 2027 general election.
Anyanwu further disclosed that the committee would take over the party’s national secretariat at Wadata Plaza on Monday, noting that earlier delays were due to legal and security concerns.
According to him, a Federal High Court ruling had nullified the PDP national convention held in Ibadan on November 15 and 16, 2025, declaring it invalid and barring those elected at the convention from parading themselves as members of the NWC.
He added that attempts by the Turaki-led faction to block their access to the party headquarters using the police had been dismissed by the court, clearing the way for the caretaker committee to assume control.
Meanwhile, the Turaki-led NWC has rejected INEC’s action and is considering legal options to challenge the recognition of the Wike-backed caretaker committee.
In a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the faction described INEC’s decision as unconstitutional, provocative and capable of triggering unrest within the party.
Ememobong accused the electoral body of disregarding ongoing cases at the Court of Appeal and warned that INEC lacked the authority to determine the leadership of a political party.
He urged party members to remain calm and law-abiding while awaiting the final determination of all pending cases, assuring that the party would overcome the crisis.
The statement reaffirmed confidence in the Turaki-led leadership, insisting that the PDP would emerge stronger and more united despite the ongoing turmoil.
Recall that on Friday, a Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan nullified the PDP national convention held on November 15, 2025, and ordered Turaki and others elected at the convention to stop presenting themselves as national officers of the party.
Before the ruling, PDP governors had endorsed the Ibadan convention, which produced Turaki and members of the NWC for a four-year tenure.
However, the Wike-aligned faction had earlier set up a 13-member caretaker committee on December 8, appointing Mohammed and Anyanwu with a 60-day mandate, a move that has continued to deepen divisions within the opposition party.