Wike-backed PDP Caretaker Committee has attended INEC Consultative Meeting in Abuja.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the Nyesom Wike-backed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caretaker Committee on Thursday attended the quarterly consultative meeting of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja, amid the party’s lingering leadership crisis.
The PDP was represented at the meeting by its Acting National Chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed; Acting National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu; and the National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature. The meeting is ongoing at INEC’s headquarters in the Federal Capital Territory.
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Observations at the venue showed Mohammed seated in the front row designated for the “PDP Chairman,” while Anyanwu occupied a seat behind him labelled “PDP National Secretary,” suggesting official recognition at the meeting.
The development comes days after a Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan nullified the PDP National Convention held on November 15, 2025, in Ibadan, Oyo State. The court also ordered Tanimu Turaki (SAN) and others to stop parading themselves as national officers of the party.
Before the judgment, PDP governors had endorsed the Ibadan convention, which produced Turaki and members of the National Working Committee (NWC) for a four-year tenure. However, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, alongside Mohammed and Anyanwu, maintained that they remained the party’s Acting National Chairman and Acting National Secretary.
Although PDP governors facilitated a transition from former chairman Umar Damagum to Turaki ahead of Damagum’s tenure expiration on December 9, the Wike-aligned faction constituted a 13-member caretaker committee on December 8, granting it a 60-day mandate and naming Mohammed and Anyanwu among its leaders.
Following the leadership tussle, both the governors’ bloc and the Wike-aligned faction sought official recognition from INEC. The commission, however, declined to recognise either faction, triggering a series of legal battles as the 2027 general elections approach.
Reacting to the court ruling, the Turaki-led PDP NWC, through its Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, said the party’s legal team had been instructed to file an immediate appeal and explore all available legal options.
Speaking exclusively to PUNCH Online, Senator Anyanwu said the caretaker committee was invited to the INEC meeting in its capacity as the recognised leadership of the PDP. He welcomed the court judgment restraining Turaki and others from functioning as national officers and pledged to organise a fresh national convention to elect new NWC members.
According to him, the ruling has effectively resolved the PDP’s internal leadership crisis.
“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,” Anyanwu said.
“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.”
