The crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepened on Tuesday as governors aligned with the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) distanced themselves from a consensus selection of national officers pushed by the Nyesom Wike-backed faction, insisting they will seek legal redress and a review of the process. Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Abdulrahman Mohammed were reported as consensus candidates for national secretary and national chairman respectively, endorsed by the Wike camp, but the governors’ group says the move is illegitimate and must be challenged in court.
The split traces back nearly a year, with the party now divided into two rival camps. The governors’ faction — backed by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed — held a convention in Ibadan on November 16 that produced Tanimu Turaki (SAN) and other NWC officers. In response, the Wike-led group established a 13-member National Caretaker Working Committee in December, appointing Mohammed as acting national chairman and Anyanwu as acting national secretary to manage party affairs pending a substantive convention.
Legal battles have followed. On March 9 a Court of Appeal panel led by Justice Mohammed Danjuma affirmed a Federal High Court ruling that nullified the Ibadan convention for breaching the Electoral Act, the Nigerian Constitution and the PDP constitution, declaring the election of Turaki and others invalid. Another Court of Appeal panel in Ibadan, however, gave parties space to pursue an amicable settlement, keeping reconciliation prospects alive even as tensions persist.
Sources on both sides say attempts at reconciliation have faltered. Governors’ camp insiders, speaking anonymously, said the Wike group insisted on members purchasing forms and participating in a convention — a process they regard as flawed and tantamount to imposition. The governors’ camp has vowed to “examine all legal options” and to scrutinise the party constitution and electoral laws to protect its interests.
