…Again, Makinde blames Wike over party crisis
By Yahaya Umar, Abuja
Amid the factional crisis eating the sole of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has rejected the PDP’s request to recognise the Kabiru Turaki-led National Working Committee, NWC.
In a letter dated December 22 and addressed to Akintayo Balogun & Co, PDP’s lawyer, the INEC said the matter remains sub judice, noting that it cannot take administrative action that may preempt the outcome of the legal processes before courts as well as multiple court judgments.
AljazirahNigeria recalls that there were series of judgments for and against the the party wheel of Progress to conduct a valid national convention.
For instance, a federal high courts, Abuja, halted the conversation over alleged breaches of party constitution and electoral laws, while Oyo State High Court, Ibadan cleared the PDP to proceed with the exercise and directed INEC to monitor it.
AljazirahNigeria reports that the Turaki-led PDP NWC has the support of Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo, and Bala Mohammed, his Bauchi counterpart.
In November, the opposition party, with the backing of Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, convened a national convention in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, which produced a new set of national officers.
A group of party members led by Nyesom Wike, who serves as a Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, under the government President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, opposed the convention, and formed a parallel NWC, Board of Trustees, BoT, and national executive committee, NEC, claiming that the Ibadan Convention was a nullity over the failure to obey two courts judgements. Minister was openly seen holding his PDP factional NWC meetings in his office in Abuja.
AljazirahNigeria recalls that prior to the Ibadan Convention crisis, Wike had battled to de-legitimize the ex-Chairman of the party Ambassador Iliya Damagun by working with the National secretary, Sen Samuel Anyanwu, against his party. It started as with a reconciliation and lifing of a suspension against the National secretary. But when his services were needed to move the party forward, Sen Anyanwu alleged that his signature was forged. Amid the back and forth, the then INEC Chairman, Prof Yakubu Mamood recognized Amb. Damagun as the leadership and face of the PDP.
The Makinde led group went ahead with the Ibadan Convention citing the Supreme Court Judgement that says the issues are entirely party and need to be resolved within the party. Against this backdrop and the subsisting Ibadan court decision. Wike’s Group approach the Court of Appeal,asking among other for the court to declare the outcome of Ibadan Convention a nullity owing to certain Party constitutional and Nigeria’s constitutional breaches.
Makinde-backed PDP, through its counsel, however, asked INEC to recognise Turaki as the party’s authentic national chairman.
“In the light of the above pending suits, your request is prejudiced and cannot be acceded to until the determination of the pending appeals.
“In the circumstances, and in obedience to the rule of law and subsisting court orders, the commission is unable to accede to the demand to recognise or update the list of the national officers said to have emerged from the PDP National convention of 15th-16th November 2025”,
In a related development, the Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde during a Media chat yesterday blast his erlsewhirl bosom or mutual friend, Nyesom Wike, alleging that former Rivers State Governor and the present FCT Minister, exploited members of the G5 governors’ group for personal political advantage.
AljazirahNigeria recalls that the 5 G Governors’ used to be with Wike until things began to favour him. It will be on record that the G7 Dream Governof Abia, Benue, Enugu, Oyo & Rivers) for his selfish end,” Momodu wrote.
He alleged that Wike benefited disproportionately from the political arrangement, while other members suffered setbacks. “WIKE systematically wasted the future of three members, while Makinde escaped because of his good work in Oyo State. WIKE was the sole beneficiary of the largesse thrown at them”, he stated.
