The leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has escalated following sharp criticism from the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), which has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of acting unconstitutionally by recognising a caretaker committee backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
In a statement issued on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the Turaki-led PDP NWC described INEC’s action as provocative, unlawful, and capable of worsening the internal crisis within the opposition party. The faction warned that it would exhaust all available legal options to challenge the electoral body’s decision.
The development follows a judgment delivered last Friday by a Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, which nullified the PDP National Convention held on November 15, 2025, and restrained Kabiru Turaki and other NWC members from parading themselves as national officers of the party.
Before the court ruling, PDP governors had endorsed the Ibadan convention that produced Turaki and other NWC members for a four-year tenure. However, the Wike-aligned faction, including Abdulrahman Mohammed and Senator Samuel Anyanwu, maintained that they remained the Acting National Chairman and Acting National Secretary of the party, respectively.
Although the PDP governors facilitated a transition from former National Chairman Umar Damagum to Turaki ahead of Damagum’s tenure expiration on December 9, the Wike-backed camp countered by announcing a 13-member caretaker committee on December 8, with a 60-day mandate to oversee party affairs.
As the PDP leadership tussle intensified, both factions approached INEC for official recognition. Initially, the commission declined to recognise either group, leading to multiple court cases as preparations for the 2027 general elections gathered momentum.
Reacting to the Ibadan court judgment, the Turaki-led NWC confirmed that its legal team had been instructed to immediately file an appeal and pursue all legal remedies available under the law.
Meanwhile, the Wike-backed faction welcomed the court ruling and pledged to organise a fresh PDP national convention to elect new members of the National Working Committee.
On Thursday, INEC formally recognised the Wike-backed PDP Caretaker Committee by allowing its representatives—presented as Acting Chairman, Acting Secretary, and National Organising Secretary—to represent the party at the commission’s quarterly consultative meeting with political parties in Abuja.
Responding to INEC’s action, Ememobong urged PDP members nationwide to remain calm and law-abiding while awaiting the outcome of ongoing court cases related to the party’s leadership crisis.
He stated that INEC’s decision to invite individuals claiming to lead a caretaker committee not provided for in the PDP constitution was “vexatious” and inappropriate, especially given that the matters are currently before the Court of Appeal.
Ememobong stressed that INEC has no constitutional authority to impose leadership on the PDP and expressed confidence that the appellate court would soon resolve the dispute.
He further assured party members that the PDP’s “Rebirth Movement,” under the leadership of Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, remains firm and focused on rebuilding a united opposition capable of offering Nigerians a credible alternative to the ruling party.
