PDP crisis: Makinde, Wike camps await Appeal Court verdict today

Rival factions in the Peoples Democratic Party have expressed confidence ahead of Monday’s judgment by the Court of Appeal of Nigeria on the party’s leadership crisis.

The dispute pits a camp backed by Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo State, and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State against another aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

The National Publicity Secretary of the National Working Committee led by Tanimu Turaki, Ini Ememobong, confirmed that the appellate court scheduled judgment on consolidated suits involving the PDP for Monday in Abuja.

Similarly, Jungudo Mohammed, spokesman for the caretaker committee led by Mohammed Abdulrahman as acting national chairman and Samuel Anyanwu as acting national secretary, said the Wike-backed faction was also expecting the ruling on the same day.

Both groups said legal precedents and statutory provisions favour their positions.

The crisis followed the PDP convention held in Ibadan on November 15, where Turaki and other members of the NWC were elected for a four-year tenure with the backing of PDP governors. The governors also supervised the transition of leadership from former acting chairman Umar Damagum before his tenure expired on December 9.

However, a faction loyal to Wike constituted a 13-member caretaker committee on December 8, appointing Abdulrahman as acting national chairman and Anyanwu as acting national secretary with a 60-day mandate.

Attempts by both camps to hold meetings at the party’s national secretariat at Wadata Plaza in Abuja on November 18, 2025 turned chaotic, leading to clashes and forcing the Nigeria Police Force to seal the complex. The secretariat has remained closed since then.

Both factions later sought recognition from the Independent National Electoral Commission, but the commission declined to recognise either leadership, leading to several court cases.

One of the suits before the appellate court earlier halted the PDP convention until the party complied with provisions of its constitution, the Constitution of Nigeria and the Electoral Act. The case was filed by three PDP members from Imo State, Abia State and the South-South zone.

Another case was filed by former governor Sule Lamido, in which a Federal High Court judge restrained INEC from supervising or recognising any PDP convention that excluded him as a contestant.

Three additional suits, including one from the Oyo State High Court, also challenge the legality of the November 15–16 convention, while another case contests the police closure of the party’s secretariat.

The Court of Appeal heard the consolidated cases on February 12 and notified the parties last week that judgment would be delivered on Monday.

Speaking ahead of the ruling, Mohammed of the Wike-aligned faction said Supreme Court precedents favour their case, arguing that the convention that produced the Turaki-led leadership violated the Electoral Act, the Nigerian Constitution and the PDP constitution.

He also dismissed claims that the matter was purely an internal party affair, citing a recent judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria which held that courts can intervene when party actions violate statutory provisions.

Ememobong, spokesman for the Turaki-led NWC, also expressed confidence in the judiciary, saying the party believed justice would be done in accordance with the law.

Meanwhile, the PDP Governors’ Forum urged party members to remain calm and law-abiding before, during and after the judgment, describing the judiciary as a critical institution for sustaining Nigeria’s democracy.

Earlier, Lagos PDP governorship aspirant Funso Doherty had urged the Court of Appeal to deliver a swift ruling, warning that prolonged uncertainty over the party’s leadership could affect preparations for the 2027 general election.

He noted that the timetable released by INEC schedules the commencement of party primaries for April 23, 2026, stressing that clarity on the leadership dispute would guide the party, the electoral commission and other stakeholders ahead of the polls.