76 PDP staff raise alarm over alleged plans to cripple party

…as Wike group moves to consolidate hold on party structure

The management and staff of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Peoples Democratic Institute, the party’s training arm, on Tuesday rejected the judgment of the Federal High Court, Ibadan Division, which annulled the Kabiru Turaki-led executive, describing it as part of alleged plans to cripple the party.

This came amid moves by the faction led by Nyesom Wike and Samuel Anyanwu to consolidate control of the party’s structure following the court ruling.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja, Abdulrahman Mohammed, Chairman of the faction’s Caretaker Committee, insisted there was no division within the party, describing his group as the authentic leadership of the PDP.

“There is no division in the PDP under my leadership. The PDP is united. We are working towards a peaceful and all-inclusive convention of our party. I am sure members of the party are following developments and know that we are genuinely working to reposition the party,” he said.

However, the PDP staff, who described themselves as custodians of the party’s national secretariat, reaffirmed their loyalty to the Kabiru Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC), elected at the party’s national convention held on 15 and 16 November.

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In a statement signed by all 76 staff on Tuesday, they insisted that there was “no legal encumbrance whatsoever” against the conduct of the national convention in Ibadan, which they said was legally convened by the National Executive Committee (NEC) at its 101st meeting of 24 July 2025, pursuant to Section 31(2)(a) of the PDP Constitution.

They added that the party fulfilled all statutory requirements under Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022 by duly notifying the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which was present at the convention.

Citing the recent Supreme Court judgment in INEC v SDP & Ors, the staff said the apex court reaffirmed its long-standing position that political parties are only required to notify INEC, a requirement they said the PDP complied with.

They also rejected the conclusion of Justice Agreed, who accused the party of conducting the convention in disobedience of a court order, arguing that the judge was informed of a ruling by the Oyo State High Court directing the party to conduct the exercise.

According to the staff, it was “surprising” that Justice Uche Agomoh “turned the law on its head” by granting reliefs that were not sought and attempting to impose a caretaker committee on the party, which they said was outside her jurisdiction.

“There is no provision in our party’s constitution empowering any unelected individual or group to arbitrarily form committees and allocate positions to themselves,” the statement said.

They further stated that the immediate past NWC was functus officio, having completed its tenure, and therefore had no legal basis to lay claim to any party office.

The staff commended the party leadership for swiftly filing an appeal and an application for stay of execution, which they said placed the judgment in abeyance and retained the Kabiru Turaki-led NWC elected at the Ibadan convention as valid and operational.

They expressed optimism that the appellate court would set aside the judgments, which they described as attempts to reverse democratic gains.

“As critical stakeholders in the democratic process, we urge the National Judicial Council (NJC) to caution judges who are complicit in delivering judgments or issuing orders that portray them as willing tools in the hands of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to cripple opposition and undermine democracy,” the statement said.

They warned that such actions were eroding public confidence in the judiciary, noting that loss of confidence could encourage citizens to resort to self-help, posing risks to national stability.

Meanwhile, the Mohammed-led Caretaker Committee maintained that the party remains united and focused on reconciliation and preparations for future elections.

According to the committee, it is working in line with the PDP constitution and electoral laws to organise an all-inclusive national convention, with an emphasis on inclusiveness and transparency.

Jungudo Haruna, Publicity Secretary of the group, announced that the party’s national convention has been rescheduled to hold on 29 and 30 March 2026.

He recalled that the NEC had earlier fixed the convention for 28 and 29 March, but said the date was adjusted after further consideration.

Haruna also announced the dissolution of the North-West, South-West and Plateau State zonal committees, adding that caretaker committees would be appointed soon.

He said the National Caretaker Working Committee would consult widely before announcing the National Convention Planning Committee, describing the resolutions as key outcomes of the committee’s meeting.