The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepened on Thursday as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike-backed National Caretaker Committee dissolved the executives of 14 state chapters of the party and announced plans to conduct fresh congresses in January 2026.
The committee insisted that the leadership of Mohammed Abdulrahman and Senator Samuel Anyanwu, serving as Acting National Chairman and Acting National Secretary respectively, remains the only legitimate national structure recognised by the party.
This position was contained in a communiqué issued after the committee’s meeting held on Thursday evening in Abuja and read by the Acting Publicity Secretary, Haruna Jungun.
The development comes amid lingering disagreements over the November 16 Ibadan national convention, which was endorsed by PDP governors.
At the Ibadan convention, Tanimu Turaki (SAN) and other members of the National Working Committee were elected for four-year tenures.
However, Wike and his allies, Abdulrahman and Anyanwu, have continued to insist that they remain the Acting National Chairman and Acting National Secretary of the party, respectively.
Despite the governors ensuring what party sources described as a seamless handover from former chairman Umar Damagum to Turaki ahead of the official end of Damagum’s tenure on December 9, the Wike-aligned faction went ahead on December 8 to appoint Abdulrahman, Anyanwu and others as members of a 60-day caretaker committee.
According to the faction, the caretaker committee was mandated to conduct all outstanding congresses and convene a national convention within the 60-day window.
While Turaki has continued to hold meetings with some party leaders, the Abdulrahman/Anyanwu-led caretaker committee has also been carrying out its own activities, further highlighting the deepening divisions within the PDP.
14 States Affected
Jungun disclosed that the dissolved state executives are in Borno, Bauchi, Oyo, Zamfara, Yobe, Ekiti, Bayelsa, Enugu, Ebonyi, Anambra, Delta, Taraba, Kano and Lagos states.
Reading from the communiqué, Jungun said, “To tell the teeming members of our party and the general public that the PDP remains strong and indivisible. There is only one genuine and legitimate PDP, headed by Honourable Abdulrahman Mohammed.”
The caretaker committee warned party members against actions capable of bringing the image of the PDP into disrepute.
“The National Caretaker Committee, therefore, warned anybody putting the image of the party into disrepute to refrain from that forthwith,” the communiqué stated.
It also dismissed reports suggesting that the Turaki-led National Working Committee had been recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“It is important to let the public know that the claims making the rounds in the media that the Turaki illegal Excos have been accepted by INEC are false,” Jungun read.
“We therefore challenge Turaki to produce the code with which he uploaded his Exco to the INEC portal.”
The committee further ratified the dissolution of some state working committees while confirming caretaker committees in the affected states.
It also announced the assignment of portfolios to some of its members for the effective administration of the party. Those assigned include Professor Adenike Ogunse as Women Leader; Engineer Deji Dohati as Deputy National Secretary; Senator Olaka Ogunwu as Treasurer and Publicity; and Ambassador Dr Ibrahim Bala-Aboki as Youth Leader.
“Finally, the committee has approved the calendar for the conduct of state congresses starting from January 9th, 2026, after which the national convention will follow,” the communiqué added.
Earlier, the Acting National Chairman, Abdulrahman, defended the legitimacy of the caretaker committee, insisting it was operating strictly in line with the party’s constitution.
He said, “We have only one PDP under my leadership and my team as the caretaker committee of our great party. The party is all about being in line with the constitution of the party and that of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“This body is well aligned and understands the law of the Federation and the constitution of our great party. We have only one body as PDP under my leadership.”