PDP moves to end leadership crisis as Wike, govs’ camps hold talks Monday

Fresh efforts to resolve the leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are set to continue on Monday as representatives of camps loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and PDP governors prepare to meet to harmonise conditions for reconciliation.

A senior party leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly, disclosed that members of the reconciliation committee from both camps had already held an initial meeting on Friday and agreed to reconvene on Monday to review and harmonise positions from their respective groups.

The development was also confirmed by figures in the governors’ camp, the National Working Committee led by Tanimu Turaki, and the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, who said the reconciliation panel was set to meet to address the lingering dispute within the party.

The National Secretary of the Wike-backed National Caretaker Committee, Samuel Anyanwu, also expressed optimism that the party would soon overcome its internal challenges.

The PDP crisis intensified after governors backed the Ibadan national convention held on November 15, which produced Turaki and other members of the National Working Committee for a four-year tenure. The governors also supervised the transfer of leadership from former Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum to Turaki before Damagum’s tenure expired on December 9.

However, a faction loyal to Wike later constituted a 13-member caretaker committee on December 8, naming Mohammed Abdulrahman as Acting National Chairman and Anyanwu as Acting National Secretary, with a 60-day mandate.

Efforts by both factions to hold separate meetings at the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja on November 18, 2025, turned chaotic, leading to clashes and forcing security agencies to seal the secretariat, which has remained closed since then.

Both camps subsequently approached the Independent National Electoral Commission seeking recognition, but the commission declined to acknowledge either faction, a development that triggered several legal battles as preparations for the 2027 general elections intensified.

The dispute eventually reached the Court of Appeal, which on March 9 nullified the outcome of the Ibadan convention that produced the Turaki-led National Working Committee, ruling that the process contravened provisions of the Electoral Act, the Nigerian Constitution and the PDP constitution.

In another ruling, a panel of the Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan granted all parties involved in the dispute permission to pursue an out-of-court settlement after lawyers from both camps indicated their willingness to explore reconciliation.

Against this backdrop, members of both camps formed a joint reconciliation committee comprising about six representatives from each side, including legal practitioners.

A party source said the first meeting held on Friday focused on identifying key areas of disagreement and allowing representatives to return to their respective camps to consult stakeholders before the next meeting.

According to the source, each representative was asked to gather the concerns and conditions of their camp and present them to the committee for review and harmonisation.

The source added that no final decision had yet been taken on whether the crisis would be resolved through a fresh convention or through the establishment of an interim caretaker committee to run the affairs of the party.

A member of the Board of Trustees aligned with the Turaki faction, Fasiu Bakene, confirmed that reconciliation efforts were underway following recent court rulings which effectively left the party without a recognised national leadership structure.

Bakene said the Board of Trustees, led by Adolphus Wabara, decided to encourage reconciliation after lawyers representing both factions informed the court that discussions were ongoing.

According to him, the survival of the party ahead of the 2027 elections remained the most important consideration.

He also suggested that the outcome of the reconciliation process could include the establishment of a caretaker committee to steer the party’s affairs pending the next general elections.

Despite the reconciliation efforts, Anyanwu insisted that preparations for the party’s national convention would continue.

He said the convention, scheduled for later in the month, would produce a new National Working Committee that would take over the leadership of the party.

Anyanwu also acknowledged reconciliation moves initiated by the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, noting that discussions were ongoing to bridge the divide within the party.

Similarly, the Chairman of the Osun State chapter of the PDP, Sunday Bisi, said the Wike camp remained open to dialogue but insisted that preparations for the convention were already underway across several states.

He said congresses were ongoing in a number of states and that the convention timetable would not be altered.

Meanwhile, the North Central Zonal Legal Adviser of the PDP, Abubakar Issa, criticised moves by some party leaders to reconcile with Wike’s camp, accusing the FCT minister of betraying the party by supporting Bola Tinubu during the last presidential election.

Issa argued that it would be difficult to justify negotiations with a party member who openly supported the presidential candidate of a rival political party.

He warned that any reconciliation effort that failed to address the issue could undermine the party’s internal discipline and credibility.