Fresh cracks within the Peoples Democratic Party have widened after the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, dismissed a rival caretaker committee as illegal and deceptive.
Wike took direct aim at a faction aligned with Kabiru Turaki, accusing the group of attempting to mislead party members and the public with what he described as a “fraudulent structure.”
Speaking during a media chat in Abuja, the former Rivers State governor insisted there is no leadership vacuum in the PDP, contrary to claims by the Turaki-led bloc.
He maintained that the party has only one recognised national secretariat located at Wadata House in Wuse Zone 5, stressing that any parallel structure outside that framework lacks legitimacy.
According to Wike, the Supreme Court judgement cited by the opposing faction does not justify the creation of a caretaker committee, nor does it invalidate the current leadership of the party.
He further warned that any attempt by the group to sell nomination forms under the PDP platform could amount to fraud, questioning where such forms would be processed or recognised.
The minister also pointed to the party’s recent convention held at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, which he said remains the only legitimate gathering that produced the current National Working Committee.
However, the crisis deepened earlier this week when the PDP Board of Trustees, led by Adolphus Wabara, announced a 13-member interim National Working Committee.
The committee, chaired by Tanimu Turaki, emerged from a separate National Executive Committee meeting held at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja by the faction.
Leaders within that bloc argued that the Supreme Court ruling nullifying the Ibadan convention created a leadership gap, necessitating the formation of an interim structure.
Prominent figures at the meeting included Seyi Makinde and Jerry Gana, among others, signalling the depth of division within the party.
The faction also rejected the legitimacy of the Abuja convention that produced the current party leadership, declaring its outcome invalid.
With both camps holding firm positions, the PDP faces a growing internal crisis that could shape its strength and cohesion ahead of the 2027 general elections.
