The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) reached a new low on Monday as the faction loyal to Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, moved to cement its control by appointing an interim leadership.
This move has been met with stiff resistance from the camp of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who described the action as a total illegality.
At a meeting labeled as the 103rd National Executive Committee (NEC) session in Abuja, the Makinde-led group ratified a 13-member caretaker committee.
The team is headed by Tanimu Turaki (SAN), with former Oyo State Deputy Governor, Amb Taofeek Arapaja, serving as the secretary. Other members include Alhaji Hamza Akuyam Koshe, Dr. Daniel Woyenikuro, and Ini Ememobong.
The decision followed a motion by Edo PDP Chairman, Tony Aziegbemi, who insisted the party needed a fresh start.
Governor Makinde, addressing the press after the session, remained defiant despite a recent Supreme Court ruling that nullified a previous convention held by his faction. The Governor insisted that the interim NWC was legally formed, claiming they secured the constitutionally required two-thirds majority of NEC members.
“We are in an unusual situation, democratically, in Nigeria today. I think what I can say right now is we will not give up. This is a battle, you know, for democracy,” Makinde stated.
However, the Wike-backed faction, led by acting National Chairman Abdulrahman Mohammed and National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, dismissed the entire exercise as a “charade.”
The camp’s spokesperson, Jungudo Mohammed, argued that the Makinde group had no authority to convene a NEC meeting. He noted that the Supreme Court had already spoken on the matter and that Anyanwu remains the legitimate Secretary.
He also took a swipe at BoT Chairman, Adolphus Wabara, claiming he had been expelled from his ward for anti-party activities and thus lacked the standing to lead any party organ.
Despite the internal warfare, the Makinde-backed faction has already released a roadmap for the 2027 general elections. The group hiked the price of the presidential nomination form to N100 million and the governorship form to N40 million.
According to the schedule signed by Ini Ememobong, sales of these forms will begin on May 5 and end on May 13, 2026. This timeline directly clashes with the Wike camp, which had already started its own sale of forms on April 27.
The Board of Trustees Chairman, Adolphus Wabara, defended the move, stating that the party was currently in a leadership vacuum that the BoT had to fill to save the PDP from collapsing. He accused the ruling APC of working with “suspended members” to destroy the opposition.
In his acceptance speech, Tanimu Turaki promised to stabilize the party and ensure it remains the leading voice against the current administration.
With INEC setting the 2027 Presidential election for January 16, 2027, and party primaries required to conclude by May 2026, the PDP is now running two parallel structures. Both sides claim legitimacy, leaving the fate of the nation’s main opposition party hanging in the balance as the legal and political battles intensify.