After Court victory, Wike’s camp moves to unite PDP

A faction of the Nyesom Wike-aligned Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is asking members to stay united as it holds the party’s 86th Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting while internal leadership disputes continue.

The BoT Chairman, Mao Ohuabunwa, described the meeting as a very important moment for the party. He urged members to stay calm, remember the party’s values, and follow its constitution.

According to him, the BoT serves as the guardian of the party’s values and integrity.

He said recent ward and local government congresses across Nigeria were peaceful and transparent. He explained that these exercises show the PDP still values democracy and participation from its grassroots members.

Ohuabunwa also said the state congresses scheduled for the weekend would help strengthen the party’s structure nationwide.

National convention preparation
He spoke about preparations for the PDP national convention, which is scheduled for March 29–30. The convention will allow the party to reorganize and reaffirm its commitment to democracy, unity, and service to the country.

On legal issues, Ohuabunwa mentioned that the Court of Appeal (Nigeria) confirmed the authority of the National Caretaker Committee, led by Abdulrahman Mohammed.

He said the court ruling brought clarity and stability to the party. He added that the PDP respects the rule of law and will follow its constitution.

He also encouraged party members to take part in the ongoing electronic membership registration, saying a strong and well-documented membership base will help the party become more organized and effective.

Ohuabunwa emphasized that party elders must guide members and promote unity so that decisions protect the long-term future of the party and the Nigerian people.

Call for unity before 2027 elections
Speaking at the meeting, Abdulrahman Mohammed, Chairman of the PDP National Caretaker Working Committee (NCWC), also called for unity as the party prepares for the 2027 general elections.

He said the committee recently inspected the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja as part of preparations for the national convention.

Mohammed also noted that the PDP recently won nine appeals at the Court of Appeal.

He insisted that the National Caretaker Working Committee is the only recognized national leadership body of the party and the only one allowed to present candidates for the 2027 elections.

He urged party leaders and members to support the committee as preparations continue.

He said the committee will wait for the Certified True Copy of the court judgments before deciding the next steps, including the possibility of continuing the legal battle at the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

Mohammed also called on party members to stop filing lawsuits against the party because such actions delay preparations for upcoming elections.

Background of the leadership crisis
The meeting comes after a long leadership crisis in the PDP that started in November 2025.

Earlier, PDP governors supported a convention held in Ibadan on November 15, which produced Kabiru Turaki and other members of the National Working Committee for a four-year term.

Leadership was handed over from former Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum to Turaki before Damagum’s tenure ended on December 9.

However, a faction loyal to Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), created a 13-member caretaker committee.

The committee named Abdulrahman Mohammed as Acting National Chairman and Samuel Anyanwu as Acting National Secretary, with a 60-day mandate.

Both factions later tried to hold meetings at the PDP National Secretariat, but the situation became chaotic. This forced the Nigeria Police Force to seal the building.
The crisis led to several court cases.

On March 9, the Court of Appeal ruled that the Ibadan convention violated the Electoral Act, the Nigerian Constitution, and the PDP’s constitution.

As a result, the court cancelled the convention that produced Kabiru Turaki and his leadership team.