THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has recognised the faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Working Committee (NWC) aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
INEC reflected the updated leadership structure on its official website on Monday, March 30, listing Abdulrahman Mohammed as National Chairman and Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary, alongside other national officers said to have emerged from the party’s recent convention in Abuja.
The development followed a disputed national convention held at the Velodrome of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, where a new leadership was elected through consensus after the dissolution of a caretaker committee.
The emergence of the Wike-backed leadership has further polarised the PDP, which has remained divided into rival factions laying claim to the party’s national structure.
A rival bloc led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki had earlier challenged the legality of the convention, approaching the Supreme Court to stop the exercise and contesting moves by the opposing camp to take control of the party’s national leadership.
The crisis is rooted in a series of court decisions that have shaped the party’s internal struggle over legitimacy and control.
In a judgment delivered on March 9, 2026, the Court of Appeal in Abuja dismissed an appeal filed by the Turaki’s PDP against an earlier Federal High Court ruling that barred INEC from recognising the outcome of the party’s national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State in November 2025.
The appellate court upheld the lower court’s decision, ruled that the appeal lacked merit, and ordered the Turaki-led faction to pay ₦2 million in costs.
The Ibadan convention had produced a leadership structure led by Turaki, but it immediately triggered internal resistance, particularly from members loyal to Wike, who rejected the outcome and challenged their suspension during the exercise.
The dispute deepened when INEC, in December 2025, declined to recognise the leadership produced at the Ibadan convention, citing existing court orders restraining it from acting on the outcome.
The commission maintained that pending appeals did not amount to a stay of execution and insisted it was bound by subsisting judgments.
In a further development, the Federal High Court in Abuja, in January 2026, nullified the Ibadan convention entirely and barred Turaki and other officials who emerged from it from acting as national officers of the party.
Despite the rulings, the Turaki-led faction insisted that its leadership remained valid and continued to pursue legal remedies to challenge the decisions.
The PDP crisis has its roots in the build-up to the 2023 general elections, when a major rift emerged between supporters of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and a bloc of governors aligned with Wike over the party’s presidential zoning arrangement.
The disagreement deepened during the party’s presidential primary, where Atiku secured the ticket, defeating other aspirants, including Wike. The outcome triggered internal divisions, with Wike and some allies withholding support during the general election.
The situation contributed to the eventual victory of President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), while further weakening the PDP’s internal cohesion.
Tensions escalated after Tinubu appointed Wike as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, a move that intensified accusations of anti-party activity while he retained membership of the PDP.
Since then, the party has remained fractured, with key figures including governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, alongside other senior members, openly criticising Wike’s role and accusing him of undermining party unity.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M