Key leaders within Nigeria's main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have launched a fresh initiative to mend the deep divisions tearing the party apart. This move follows a peace blueprint previously suggested by former Senate President, Bukola Saraki.
Saraki's Formula and the Push for Reconciliation
According to sources within the party, concerned figures are now actively engaging the leaders of the two main factions to broker a truce. The goal is to avert further instability ahead of the crucial 2027 general elections. The mediators are urging factional heads, including Nyesom Wike, Samuel Anyanwu, and Saminu Turaki, to consider withdrawing all pending court cases and agreeing on a new date for a national convention.
A source involved in the reconciliation talks stated that the PDP must return to Saraki's suggestion to restore sanity and ensure its survival. From the onset of the crisis, Saraki had advised party leaders to manage internal affairs without resorting to litigation, warning that court battles and factionalisation would only stall progress and benefit political opponents.
He envisioned a path where the party would manage its issues to reach a National Convention, where the constitution could be reviewed and a clear way forward charted. A Lagos-based PDP chieftain lamented that this advice was ignored, leading to the current mess of lawsuits and parallel structures.
Wike-Backed Faction Inaugurates Lagos Caretaker Committee
Amid these reconciliation efforts, the National Working Committee (NWC) faction loyal to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, took a decisive step on Wednesday, December 24, 2025. The faction, which recognises Abdulraman Mohammed as National Chairman and Anyanwu as National Secretary, inaugurated a 19-member State Caretaker Committee for the PDP in Lagos State.
The ceremony in Ikeja was attended by the Deputy National Secretary of the factional NWC, Adedeji Doherty, who represented the National Chairman. Doherty, a former Lagos PDP Chairman, decried the disrespect for the party's constitution by some members and blamed specific leaders, including Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and Olabode George, for the party's prolonged crisis.
He described the party's November national convention as a "kangaroo process" conducted outside democratic tenets, and therefore illegitimate. "Rebuilding the party at this period is more important to us than who becomes President in 2027," Doherty declared, calling on all former members in Lagos to return and help rebuild.
Controversial Stance on 2027 and Merger Taunts
In a statement that is sure to spark further debate, Doherty commented on the 2027 elections and the zoning of the presidency to Southern Nigeria. He said there was nothing wrong with the PDP supporting President Bola Tinubu of the APC to complete a second term for the region. He clarified that this did not mean abandoning the PDP, but was a personal prerogative, as seen in Wike's decision.
Meanwhile, external voices are adding pressure. Former Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, Farouk Aliyu, during an interview on Channels Television's 'Sunrise Daily' on Wednesday, advised the PDP to get its act together. He provocatively suggested that if the PDP is "dying," one way to revive it would be to merge with the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The party's national crisis recently escalated when the Wike-backed NWC announced the dissolution of state executives in several states, including Lagos. With reconciliation talks underway and parallel structures being established, the PDP's journey to 2027 remains fraught with significant challenges and uncertainty.
