The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said on Sunday that its National Convention will go ahead on March 29 and 30 in Abuja, despite fresh legal moves by a rival faction to stop the gathering, deepening a power struggle that has split one of Nigeria’s main opposition parties into two competing camps. The latest confrontation pits the National Caretaker Working Committee (NCWC), widely seen as aligned with Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, against a rival bloc led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, which has drawn support from figures including Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.
At a press conference in Abuja, NCWC National Publicity Secretary Jungudo Haruna Mohammed said existing court rulings had already settled the question of legitimacy in favour of the caretaker leadership. He said judgments of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal had affirmed the NCWC as the party organ authorised to steer PDP affairs for now, and urged members to ignore contrary claims.
The dispute stems from the PDP’s disputed national convention held in Ibadan on November 15 and 16, 2025, where Turaki emerged as national chairman. That convention was later nullified by the Federal High Court, and on March 9, 2026, the Court of Appeal upheld the decision, barring the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising its outcome. The Turaki camp rejected the ruling and said it would head to the Supreme Court, underscoring the depth of the party’s internal crisis ahead of the 2027 elections.
Even so, the standoff is far from over. Mohammed said the caretaker leadership was aware of moves by the Turaki group to approach a court in Ibadan for an injunction to halt the planned March convention. He described the effort as an abuse of court process and said several reconciliation overtures had already been extended to the rival faction but were ignored. He also appealed to the judiciary to resist any attempt to frustrate what he called the party’s legitimate activities.
Despite the legal and political tension, the caretaker leadership insisted preparations for the convention were complete. Mohammed said all arrangements had been concluded and that the party was ready to hold what he described as a successful, transparent and credible convention. Questions such as zoning and the control of the party’s national structures, he added, would be addressed in due course. For now, both camps remain locked in a struggle over legitimacy, with the courts once again emerging as the decisive arena in the PDP’s worsening internal battle.
