•Wabara-led BoT rejects Appeal Court ruling, opens window for reconciliation
The internal power struggle within the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) reached another level on Wednesday night during the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting organised by the Abdulrahman Mohammed faction in Abuja, as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, declared that his faction remains firmly in control of the party’s machinery.
Coming on the heels of Monday’s Court of Appeal ruling affirming the current caretaker leadership structure, Wike maintained that while his camp is open to reconciliation, it will do so only as a dominant force.
“PDP will never die. There comes a time when you have crises, but those crises are for you to put yourself in order. Life is in stages. For me, what is happening is a natural process that we must pass through as humans. We are for reconciliation, but genuine reconciliation,” he said.
The FCT Minister who took aim at the Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro, regarding the nature of the ongoing peace efforts, challenged his rivals to be transparent about their intentions and warned against clandestine maneuvers.
“Minority leader, when you are talking about reconciliation, come with your terms of reconciliation so that we will know. Concrete proposal, not like the last time you came to me and before I knew it, you were in Ibadan for the convention. I don’t like those who go to negotiate at night and come out to shout in the day. Let those coming for peace come in the daytime and not at nighttime,” he said.
He further dismissed accusations that his role in the APC-led administration made him a “mole” within the PDP.
“It was as if I were the cause of the problem because I am working in an APC administration, but all the ones who accused me are today in APC, and I, whom they accused, have not left the PDP,” the minister noted.
Wike stood firm on the party’s upcoming National Convention, rejecting any suggestions of forming a new caretaker committee to appease aggrieved members. He emphasized that the logistics for the transition are already finalised.
“The party is working hard for the convention to hold. They have paid the necessary fees. They have secured the venue. So, let no one bring up another suggestion to form another caretaker committee. I won’t accept that. Convention must hold, and we will allow everybody to participate,” he asserted.
Addressing those threatening further legal action at the apex court, he remarked, “They said they are going to the Supreme Court, it is okay. The court is for everybody. Even in table tennis, one must lose. There is no tie in this game. We have the upper hand, and we will tell you this is what we want.”
Earlier, Senator Moro, while acknowledging Wike’s indispensable role in the party, pleaded for a middle ground.
He revealed he had met with the faction led by the Tanimu Turaki earlier in the day to seek a resolution.
“I bring you solidarity from the National Assembly. I want to reiterate very emphatically here that the NASS caucus of our great party has always been in the forefront of having a united PDP.
“Crisis has rocked the PDP for some time, and the NASS caucus under my leadership and Hon. Kingsley Chinda resolved that we must provide a platform so that we can act as one,” he said.
Moro urged members to prioritise the party’s survival over personal ambitions: “Whether I contest the election in 2027 or not, the survival of PDP is paramount to me. I cannot abandon it. Everybody should accept some level of sacrifice.”
On his part, House Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, described the Monday Court of Appeal judgment as a lifeline for the party’s future.
“For us, we are happy that the judgment of Monday is not just for PDP but for democracy in the country.
“You have seen the exodus of our members in the past just because of the fear of the viability of the platform, but Monday’s judgment has laid all that to rest. We want to assure you that within a short time in the House of Representatives, you will see people defecting to the PDP,” he declared.
Chinda also echoed the need for fairness in the peace process, stating, “Yes, we crave for peace, but whoever seeks peace must also seek justice. That is the only thing that can give us sustained peace.”
The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Tanimu Turaki-led camp of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the ruling of the Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, which voided the national convention of the party, held in Ibadan, Oyo State, in November 2025.
The BoT said at the end of a two-day expanded meeting in Abuja that it disagreed with Monday’s judgment by the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which voided the November 15, 2025, national convention of the PDP that produced the Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC).
Chairman of the Board and former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, who read a communique of the body on Wednesday, said that the party was awaiting the advice of lawyers before taking a final stance on what to do regarding the judgment.
It, however, at the same time, opened a window for reconciliation, in line with the outcome of the case at the Court of Appeal, Ibadan.
Wabara said: “The BoT is disturbed by the avoidable internal leadership disputes and wranglings leading to damaging litigations with consequential detrimental effect on the unity and smooth running of the PDP as the major opposition party in the country.
“The Board, however, acknowledges and resolves to explore the window provided by the Court of Appeal, Ibadan Division, for reconciliation within the party.
“The BoT is conscious of the interest and aspiration of our members who are desirous of contesting various positions in the 2027 general elections.
“Conscious of the onus on the BoT as the conscience and third-highest leadership Organ of the Party, the Board is resolved to take immediate steps to reconcile all stakeholders, put an end to all disputes, and restore the party to good political health, particularly to enable the PDP field candidates in the 2027 general elections.
“The BoT therefore calls on all leaders and members of our party to jettison all personal and group interests and come together as one family in the overall interest of our Party and the well-being of millions of Nigerians whose hopes are anchored on the PDP.”
