The leadership crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party grew sharper on Wednesday in Abuja as two factions continued to claim control of the party and argued over who the Independent National Electoral Commission recognises. The clash involved the National Working Committee led by Tanimu Turaki and the group backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The issue became public during the presentation of the Certificate of Return to the PDP governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Oluwole Oluyede, at the Yar’Adua Centre. The event drew state chairmen, lawmakers, party elders and supporters from Ekiti, many of whom arrived in matching Ankara outfits. At the gathering, Turaki restated that the NWC elected at the November 16 convention remained the legitimate leadership and that INEC had accepted the committee’s activities.
Members of the Wike-backed camp reacted immediately. Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who identifies as the party’s Acting National Secretary under Abdulrahman Mohammed, said the claims made by Turaki were false. He insisted that the Abdulrahman Mohammed–led caretaker committee was the only leadership that had formally notified INEC of a change in the party’s structure. He argued that the electoral commission did not attend the November convention and therefore could not have accepted its outcome.
The division followed the Ibadan convention earlier supported by PDP governors, which produced Turaki and other NWC members whose tenure is expected to last four years. Before this, the governors had managed a quiet handover from former acting chairman Umar Damagum. Despite that transition, the Wike camp continued to insist that it remained the rightful leadership and went ahead to announce a 60-day caretaker committee.
At the gathering in Abuja, Turaki asked his opponents to present evidence that INEC had accepted their candidate for the Ekiti governorship election set for June 20, 2026. Oluyede had earlier won the primary held between November 8 and 9, leading the ballot with 279 votes. He spoke about Ekiti’s strong history in education and integrity and promised that his focus would be on restoring growth, improving security, fixing the economy and strengthening public services. He also appealed to aggrieved aspirants to withdraw lawsuits so the party could move forward.
Other party leaders took turns to express support for the NWC present at the event. PDP National Secretary Taofeek Arapaja said those who once claimed the party was finished were now struggling to control it. Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro, represented by Senator Abdul Ningi, described the conflict as a human problem that could be resolved. House of Representatives Minority Whip Ali Isah also said the caucus supported the NWC and insisted that the country could not grow without strong democratic structures.
During a meeting with state chairmen earlier in the day, Turaki said the cooperation of the State Chairmen’s Forum was essential to the NWC. He explained that with almost all state chairmen present, no one could claim leadership outside the recognised structure. He promised that the party would reconnect with the grassroots and accused the APC of reversing progress made during the PDP’s earlier years in power.
The Wike faction maintained its position afterwards. Anyanwu said the claims of INEC recognition made by Turaki were false. He insisted that the commission did not observe the convention that produced Turaki and had already received notification of the caretaker committee set up by his group. He also recalled a previous dispute involving the youth leader Ude Okoye in which INEC declined to accept the NWC’s choice. He argued that the situation now was similar and that the public would soon know the truth.
He questioned why the Turaki-led committee was in court in Ibadan seeking a ruling to force INEC to accept its leadership if the commission had already recognised it. According to him, the party remained under Abdulrahman Mohammed, who still enjoyed the support of loyal members across the country.