The Nyesom Wike-backed Peoples Democratic Party has insisted that its planned national convention on March 29–30 will proceed as scheduled, despite ongoing litigation.
The PDP National Caretaker Committee, led by acting National Chairman, Mohammed Abdulrahman and National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, stated that the Independent National Electoral Commission had been formally informed of the planned convention.
In an exclusive interview with The PUNCH, the committee’s National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, along with another member, Okechukwu Osuoha, assured that party leaders remained committed to organising a fully inclusive convention.
The Governor Seyi Makinde-backed PDP, led by Tanimu Turaki (SAN), however, objected, insisting the Federal Capital Territory Minister’s bloc lacked the capacity and the locus to do so.
The National Publicity Secretary of the Turaki-led faction, Ini Ememobong, described the exercise as futile.
He said, “They lack the capacity and the locus to do so. They have been expelled from the PDP, so any gathering they hold in the name of the party will be an exercise in futility.”
On January 30, a Federal High Court in Ibadan, Oyo State, annulled the PDP national convention held on November 15, 2025, in Ibadan and directed Turaki (SAN) and several others to stop presenting themselves as national officers of the party.
Prior to the ruling, PDP governors, led by Makinde and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, had endorsed the Ibadan convention, which elected Turaki and the National Working Committee members for a four-year term.
While the governors facilitated a transition from former national chairman, Umar Damagum, to Turaki before Damagum’s tenure ended on December 9, the Wike-aligned faction formed a 13-member caretaker committee on December 8, appointing Mohammed as acting national chairman, Anyanwu as acting secretary, and others with a 60-day mandate.
Efforts by both the Wike-aligned faction and the governors’ faction to meet at Wadata Plaza on November 18, 2025, led to chaos and physical confrontations.
The police subsequently sealed the PDP National Headquarters, which has remained closed since.
The matter is awaiting judgment at the Appeal Court.
Both factions sought official recognition from INEC, which declined to recognise either side, triggering ongoing legal disputes ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Amid the developments, the Wike-aligned caretaker committee announced on February 3 that a national convention to elect new PDP leaders had been scheduled to take place in Abuja from March 29 to 30.
When asked whether the convention had been postponed due to litigation, the Publicity Secretary confirmed, “Well, the convention is going to hold as scheduled. INEC has been duly informed.
“Our party is determined to elect a new set of leaders who will pilot the affairs of the party. We are not distracted by the ongoing litigation.
“We are optimistic that it will be resolved in favour of our leadership. The convention will hold, and the ongoing litigation is not, and will not, affect our activities.”
Osuoha added, “The national convention is scheduled, and the party is preparing to follow all the steps as stated in the PDP Constitution and the Electoral Act.
“It is going to be an all-inclusive exercise. Those who are still members of the party know that it will hold as planned.
“The party is the only party in Nigeria that has organs and structures all over the country, covering all 774 local governments.”
Punch
