PDP Crisis: Wike-Backed Faction Attends INEC Meeting, Declares Crisis Over
The Nyesom Wike-backed faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), operating under a caretaker committee, on Thursday participated in the quarterly consultative meeting of the Independent National Electoral Commission with political parties at its headquarters in Abuja.
Naija News reports that the faction was represented at the high-level meeting by its Acting Chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed, Acting Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature.
Punch reports that Mohammed was seated at the front row, in a spot labelled “PDP Chairman,” while Anyanwu sat directly behind him in a seat marked “PDP National Secretary.”
Their presence comes barely a week after the Federal High Court in Ibadan nullified the November 15, 2025, PDP National Convention that produced Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN) and other members of the National Working Committee, ordering them to stop parading themselves as national officers.
The court ruling sparked fresh controversy within the party, which has been grappling with a protracted leadership tussle. Prior to the court decision, PDP governors had supported the Turaki-led NWC, which emerged at the Ibadan convention for a four-year term.
But Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and his allies, including Mohammed and Anyanwu, maintained that they were the valid interim leaders, having established a 13-member caretaker committee on December 8, 2025, with a 60-day mandate.
Despite efforts by both factions to obtain official recognition from INEC, the electoral body has so far declined to acknowledge either group, leading to multiple legal challenges with the 2027 general elections on the horizon.
PDP Leadership Remains Intact – Anyanwu
Speaking in an interview with Punch after Thursday’s INEC meeting, Senator Anyanwu said they were invited as the recognised leadership of the PDP, insisting that the court ruling had effectively brought the party’s crisis to an end.
“Yes, we were invited yesterday as the recognised leadership of the PDP, and we are here to participate in this crucial consultative meeting between INEC and political parties,” he said.
He added that the judgment affirmed the caretaker committee’s position and paved the way for a fresh national convention to elect substantive officers.
“The recent court judgment has effectively resolved the crisis that had been affecting the PDP. The party’s leadership remains intact under Abdulrahman Mohammed and me, and we are fully prepared to reposition the party ahead of future elections,” Anyanwu stated.
In response to the ruling, the Turaki-led NWC, through its Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, said its legal team had been directed to file an appeal immediately and pursue all legal remedies.
He described the ruling as inconsistent with established judgments of the Supreme Court, which protect internal party decisions, especially regarding congresses and conventions.
Ememobong stressed that the Ibadan Convention was convened with the approval of the party’s National Executive Committee and in full compliance with the PDP Constitution, with the Independent National Electoral Commission duly notified and present at the event.
