The Nyesom Wike-backed Peoples Democratic Party Caretaker Committee, on Thursday, attended the quarterly consultative meeting of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Abuja.
Punch reports that the Acting Chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed; Acting Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu; and National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, are presently representing the PDP at the ongoing meeting with political parties at the headquarters of the commission.
The acting chairman occupied a front-row seat designated “PDP Chairman,” while Anyanwu sat behind him on a seat labelled “PDP National Secretary.”
On Friday, a Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan nullified the PDP National Convention held on November 15, 2025, in Ibadan, Oyo State, and directed Tanimu Turaki (SAN) and several others to cease parading themselves as national officers of the party.
Prior to the judgment, PDP governors had backed the Ibadan Convention that produced Turaki and members of the National Working Committee for a four-year tenure.
However, the FCT Minister, alongside his allies Abdulrahman Mohammed and Senator Samuel Anyanwu, insisted they remained the Acting National Chairman and Acting National Secretary, respectively.
Even though the governors facilitated a transition from former Chairman Umar Damagum to Turaki ahead of Damagum’s tenure expiration on December 9, the Wike-aligned camp established a 13-member caretaker committee on December 8, naming Mohammed, Anyanwu, and others to serve with a 60-day mandate.
Subsequently, both the governors’ bloc and the Wike-aligned faction approached INEC seeking official recognition, but the electoral body declined to acknowledge either side, sparking multiple legal disputes as the 2027 general elections draw closer.
Reacting to the court decision, the Turaki-led PDP NWC, through its Publicity Secretary Ini Ememobong, announced that its legal team had been directed to file an immediate appeal and pursue all available legal remedies.
Speaking exclusively to PUNCH Online, Anyanwu revealed that they were invited to the meeting in their capacity as the recognised leaders of the PDP.
He also applauded the court ruling barring Turaki and others from functioning as the party’s National Working Committee and pledged to organise a fresh convention to elect new NWC members.
Anyanwu stated that the court’s ruling has effectively brought an end to the PDP’s internal crisis.
He said, “Yes, we were invited yesterday as the recognised leadership of the PDP, and we are here to participate in this crucial consultative meeting between INEC and political parties to deliberate on party matters and electoral issues.
“The recent court judgment has effectively resolved the crisis that had been affecting the PDP. The party’s leadership remains intact under Abdulrahman Mohammed and me, and we are fully prepared to reposition the party ahead of future elections.”
Punch
