PDP Crisis: Wike Camp, Governors Hold Peace Talks Monday

Leaders from the camps of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and governors of the Peoples Democratic Party will meet on Monday to continue talks aimed at settling the dispute within the party.

The meeting is expected to bring together members of a reconciliation panel formed by both sides to review their demands and look for a way to restore unity before preparations for the 2027 general elections gather pace.

The crisis in the opposition party grew after rival leadership groups emerged. One side supported a national convention held in Ibadan on November 15 which produced a National Working Committee led by Tanimu Turaki for a four-year term.

Governors in the party also backed the transition of leadership from former acting national chairman Umar Damagum to Turaki before Damagum’s tenure ended in December.

A separate faction linked to Wike later formed a 13-member caretaker committee. That group named Mohammed Abdulrahman as acting national chairman and Samuel Anyanwu as acting national secretary with a short mandate to manage the party’s affairs.

Tension increased when both factions tried to hold meetings at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja in November 2025. The situation turned chaotic and resulted in clashes between supporters of the two groups.

After the incident, the Nigeria Police Force sealed the secretariat at Wadata Plaza, and the building has remained closed since then.

Both camps later asked the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise their leadership structures. The electoral body did not accept either side, which led to several court cases as the party tried to resolve its internal problems.

The dispute reached the Court of Appeal. In March, the appellate court upheld an earlier ruling from the Federal High Court in Abuja which declared that the processes that produced the Ibadan convention did not follow provisions of the Electoral Act, the Nigerian Constitution and the party’s own constitution. The ruling cancelled the outcome of that convention and declared the election of the National Working Committee invalid.

Another panel of the Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan later allowed the parties involved in the dispute to attempt an out-of-court settlement. Lawyers representing the groups agreed to pursue reconciliation, and the case was adjourned without fixing a new date.

Following that development, members of the party’s Board of Trustees led by Adolphus Wabara and representatives of the Wike-aligned caretaker committee began efforts to bring both sides together.

Reports from party insiders indicate that a joint meeting involving representatives and legal advisers from the two camps took place on Friday to list the issues causing the disagreement.

Members of the reconciliation panel are expected to return to their respective groups and gather opinions from stakeholders. They will prepare a list of demands and proposals which will later be reviewed during the next meeting scheduled for Monday. The aim is to identify common ground and work toward restoring a clear leadership structure for the party.

Sources also indicated that the governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, who had earlier shown reluctance toward reconciliation with the Wike camp, is now open to the process. He has reportedly spoken with leaders from different sides as discussions continue.

Party leaders say the reconciliation process may determine whether the party should organise another convention or create an interim caretaker committee to manage its affairs until a permanent leadership structure is agreed upon. At the moment, no final decision has been reached on who will lead the party.

Some members believe a caretaker arrangement could reduce the cost and tension of organising another convention while allowing the party to prepare for the next election cycle. Others prefer a fresh convention to elect a new National Working Committee.

Officials involved in the process say time is a major concern because the party must settle its internal leadership issues before it can fully prepare for the 2027 elections. The reconciliation panel is therefore working to ensure that discussions move quickly and lead to an agreement that both sides can accept.

Meanwhile, leaders in Wike’s camp maintain that preparations for a national convention are already in progress. According to them, activities related to the convention are ongoing in several states, and they believe the process should continue as planned.

Despite the disagreements, members of the party on both sides have indicated that they are open to dialogue if it can restore stability within the organisation.

Many party officials believe that resolving the crisis quickly is necessary to keep the party competitive in future elections.