The crisis rocking the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) worsened on Tuesday as governors elected on the platform of the party distanced themselves from the alleged consensus selection of a national chairman and national secretary by a faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The governors insisted that they would pursue legal redress and demand a review of the process ahead of the party’s national convention.
Senior PDP members aligned with the governors-backed National Working Committee (NWC) led by Tanimu Turaki (SAN) said they would explore all legal options to resolve the dispute.
The sources, who spoke anonymously because they were not authorised to comment publicly, said the camp remained determined to challenge the process adopted by the rival faction.
Naija News reports that the PDP has been divided into two major factions following nearly a year of internal crisis.
The camp backed by governors including Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State held a convention on November 16 in Ibadan, where Turaki and other officials were elected into the National Working Committee (NWC).
However, the Wike-led faction later constituted a 13-member National Caretaker Working Committee in December, appointing Abdulrahman Mohammed as Acting National Chairman and Samuel Anyanwu as Acting National Secretary to oversee the party for 60 days pending a substantive convention.
On March 9, the Court of Appeal delivered judgment on consolidated suits arising from the leadership dispute.
A panel led by Justice Mohammed Danjuma upheld an earlier decision of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which ruled that the processes leading to the Ibadan convention violated the Electoral Act, the Nigerian Constitution, and the PDP Constitution.
The court consequently nullified the convention and declared the election of Turaki and other NWC members invalid.
Although both camps had recently indicated willingness to reconcile, fresh disagreements over the planned national convention appear to have derailed the peace process.
A source within the governors’ camp said the talks collapsed because the Wike-aligned faction insisted that members of the opposing camp must purchase nomination forms and contest in the forthcoming convention.
“You see, the reconciliation efforts have collapsed. From our side, we indicated readiness for dialogue, but when discussions were held with the other camp, the Wike group insisted that our members must participate in the convention by purchasing forms and contesting,” the source told The PUNCH.
“As far as we are concerned, that convention process is fundamentally flawed and illegal. As a group, we are determined to examine all legal options and pursue alternative legal means to resolve the issue.”
He added that the faction would review the PDP Constitution, the Electoral Act, and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria before taking further steps.
The Publicity Secretary of the Turaki-led NWC, Ini Ememobong, declined to comment on the outcome of the meeting held at the Bauchi Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja.
He said the deliberations would continue on Wednesday before an official position is announced.
Olawepo-Hashim warns against factional convention
Meanwhile, former presidential candidate Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has warned the Wike-backed leadership against holding another factional convention.
According to him, such a move could further deepen divisions within the party.
Olawepo-Hashim said the plan posed a serious threat to the unity and survival of the PDP, noting that both factions had earlier agreed to organise a unity convention before the recent court judgment.
“I urge the Wike faction not to renege on the gentleman’s agreement already made. This is about the survival and integrity of the PDP,” he said.
The PDP chieftain also warned against alleged moves to tamper with the party’s executive committees in states such as Plateau, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Kano.
He insisted that the mandates of the state chairmen must be respected.
According to him, imposing parallel structures in states that currently have no disputes could worsen the crisis and weaken the party’s cohesion ahead of future elections.
