PDP Crisis Wike Faction deepens as governors reject consensus leadership plan and vow legal action ahead of the party national convention
The internal crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) escalated on Tuesday as governors elected on the party’s platform rejected an alleged consensus arrangement by a faction aligned with Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
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The PDP governors insisted that they would seek legal redress over the disputed selection of national officers, including the national chairman and national secretary, ahead of the party’s planned national convention.
The PDP Crisis Wike Faction dispute has further widened divisions within the opposition party, which has remained split into rival camps over leadership and legitimacy issues.
Senior members of the faction aligned with the governors-backed National Working Committee (NWC), led by Tanimu Turaki (SAN), said they would explore all legal avenues to challenge the process adopted by the opposing group.
According to party insiders, the camp remains firm in its position that the disputed arrangements cannot stand and must be subjected to legal scrutiny.
The party has remained deeply divided following parallel conventions and competing claims to leadership authority, with both factions asserting legitimacy over the national structure.
A major split emerged after a faction backed by governors, including Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, held a convention in Ibadan on November 16, where Turaki and other officials were elected into the National Working Committee.
However, the Wike-aligned faction later constituted a 13-member National Caretaker Working Committee, appointing Abdulrahman Mohammed as Acting National Chairman and Samuel Anyanwu as Acting National Secretary.
A Court of Appeal judgment delivered on March 9 further complicated the situation after it upheld an earlier Federal High Court ruling that nullified the Ibadan convention on the grounds of constitutional and procedural violations.
Despite recent attempts at reconciliation, fresh disagreements over the format of the proposed national convention have reportedly stalled peace efforts within the party.
A source within the governors’ camp said negotiations collapsed after the Wike-aligned group insisted that members of the opposing faction must purchase nomination forms and participate in the convention process.
He described the ongoing arrangements as fundamentally flawed, adding that the group would review the PDP Constitution, the Electoral Act and relevant constitutional provisions before taking further steps.
Meanwhile, PDP spokesperson for the Turaki-led NWC, Ini Ememobong, declined to comment on the outcome of meetings held in Abuja, saying discussions were still ongoing.
Former presidential candidate Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim also weighed in, warning that another factional convention could further destabilise the party and threaten its unity ahead of future elections.
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He urged both sides to honour previous agreements and avoid actions that could deepen internal divisions.
