In a significant move to address a major political impasse, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stepped in to mediate the escalating internal crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The electoral umpire held a crucial closed-door meeting with leaders of the party's rival factions at its headquarters in Abuja on Friday.
A Meeting of Rival Camps
The high-stakes meeting brought together representatives from the two main power blocs tearing the former ruling party apart. One faction was led by Tanimu Turaki, who enjoys the backing of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and several other PDP governors. The opposing group is aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and is led by Abdulrahman Mohammed.
Turaki arrived at the INEC headquarters accompanied by members of his National Working Committee (NWC), party secretariat staff, and former Niger State governor, Babangida Aliyu. On the other side, Mohammed was joined by members of his national caretaker committee, including its secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
Roots of the Deepening Crisis
INEC's direct intervention underscores the severe threat the parallel leadership structures pose to the PDP's survival and its legal standing ahead of future elections. The crisis is not new; it stems from long-standing leadership disputes and factional fights that predate the 2023 general elections but have intensified dramatically since then.
The party's cohesion shattered following the presidential primaries and national convention, primarily due to the fallout between the PDP's presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and Nyesom Wike. The former Rivers State governor accused the then-party leadership under Iyorchia Ayu of marginalizing the South in the presidential primary and the selection of a vice-presidential candidate.
This disagreement birthed the G5 governors, a group that opposed Atiku's candidacy on the principle that power should rotate to the South after eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner. This group, calling itself the Integrity Group, later openly and covertly supported the eventual winner of the election, President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The aftermath has been a wave of defections, with governors, senators, and lawmakers abandoning the PDP for the ruling APC and other platforms, critically weakening the party.
The November Convention and Its Aftermath
The crisis reached a critical point in November 2025 when a PDP faction, reportedly supported by Governors Bala Mohammed of Bauchi and Seyi Makinde of Oyo, convened a national convention. This gathering produced a new NWC, installing Tanimu Turaki as the national chairman.
At that convention, the faction announced the expulsion of Nyesom Wike and several key allies, including:
- Former Ekiti State governor Ayodele Fayose
- Senator Samuel Anyanwu
- Bature Ajibade
- Mao Ohuabunwa
- Former Imo State PDP chairman Austin Nwachukwu
- Former Abia State PDP chairman Amah Nnanna Abraham
- Former National Vice Chairman (South-South) Dan Orbih
- George Turnah
In response, the Wike-backed group rejected these expulsions outright and proceeded to unveil its own parallel party structures, including a National Working Committee, a Board of Trustees, and a National Executive Committee. This move created the dual structures that forced INEC to intervene, as it casts serious doubt on which body is the legitimate governing organ of the PDP.
The outcome of INEC's mediation is now being closely watched by political observers, as it will significantly determine the PDP's ability to function as a unified opposition and participate effectively in the upcoming electoral cycle.
