The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) escalated on Sunday as the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led faction announced plans to inaugurate a national caretaker committee following the expiration of the current National Working Committee’s (NWC) tenure on Tuesday, December 9.
The faction said the National Executive Committee (NEC), which met late Sunday, is expected to ratify the caretaker arrangement. The proposal mirrors the recommendation of the Board of Trustees (BoT), which held an emergency meeting earlier in Abuja.
Mohammed said the NWC had petitioned security agencies over the disruption of the party’s 103rd NEC meeting, blaming the incident on the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki faction. He added that security operatives were already acting on the petition.
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BoT Chairman Mao Ohuabunwa warned the party against allowing a leadership vacuum and said caretaker structures would also be established in affected states and across the South-East.
Augustine Nwachukwu, Imo PDP Chairman representing state chairmen, praised the NWC for efforts to stabilise the party ahead of a national convention. Kingsley Chinda, who spoke for the National Assembly caucus, reaffirmed support for Mohammed’s leadership and stressed strict adherence to party rules.
Meanwhile, Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike intensified his battle with the opposing bloc, declaring that Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed and others were “on their way out of the PDP.”
Wike argued that those who joined the party later should not “displace” long-standing members, noting he had been in the PDP since 1998. He accused the governors of attempting to sideline loyal party members.
He also criticised Governor Bala Mohammed’s leadership of the PDP Governors’ Forum, claiming he should take responsibility for the party’s loss of governors to the APC. Wike contrasted this with his own tenure as governor, during which, he said, more political figures joined the PDP.
Wike further accused the rival faction of ignoring subsisting court judgments while seeking legitimacy through what he described as questionable legal manoeuvres. He faulted their reliance on an ex parte order from a State High Court to push for a national convention despite conflicting rulings from a Federal High Court, and questioned their return to court “if they were already recognised by INEC.”
He warned that such actions undermine the party’s stability and insisted that PDP leaders must uphold internal rules. “If we do not comply with our own laws, we cannot expect Nigerians to respect us,” he said.
In a separate development, the factional BoT aligned with Wike unveiled a restructuring plan aimed at stabilising the party. Speaking at its meeting in Life Camp, Abuja, Ohuabunwa said the group had begun reorganising affected state chapters and setting up caretaker committees in preparation for congresses and a national convention.
He emphasised discipline and reiterated support for the Mohammed-led NWC, stressing that the BoT would ensure all party actions align with its constitution and national laws.
Calling the BoT the “conscience of the party,” Ohuabunwa urged unity. “This is an important moment. We must put aside personal interests and work together,” he said.
Attendees at the meeting included factional National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu, former Abia State governor Okezie Ikpeazu, and former deputy governors Philip Salawu, Ayo Fayose and Samuel Ortom, among others.
