Members of a reconciliation committee drawn from camps loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are expected to meet on Monday as efforts intensify to resolve the party’s prolonged leadership crisis.
A senior PDP official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly, disclosed that the joint panel would reconvene to harmonise conditions presented by both factions in a bid to restore unity within the party.
Officials from the governors’ camp, the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC), and the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, confirmed that reconciliation talks were ongoing.
Also speaking, the National Secretary of the Wike-backed National Caretaker Committee, Samuel Anyanwu, expressed optimism that the party would soon overcome its internal divisions.
The crisis within the PDP intensified after governors of the party backed the Ibadan national convention held on November 15, which produced Turaki and other members of the NWC for a four-year tenure. The governors also supervised the handover of leadership from former Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, to Turaki before Damagum’s tenure ended on December 9.
However, a faction loyal to Wike constituted a 13-member caretaker committee on December 8, appointing Mohammed Abdulrahman as Acting National Chairman and Anyanwu as Acting National Secretary with a 60-day mandate.
Attempts by both factions to hold separate meetings at the party’s national secretariat in Wadata Plaza on November 18, 2025, resulted in chaos and physical confrontations. Following the incident, the Nigeria Police Force sealed the secretariat, which has remained closed since then.
Both factions later sought recognition from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), but the electoral body declined to acknowledge either group, prompting a series of legal battles as political parties prepare for the 2027 general elections.
The dispute reached the courts, and on March 9 the Court of Appeal upheld an earlier judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, ruling that the process that produced the November 15–16 Ibadan convention violated provisions of the Electoral Act, the Nigerian Constitution and the PDP Constitution. The court consequently nullified the convention and invalidated the election of Turaki and other NWC members.
In a separate ruling delivered in Ibadan by a panel led by Justice Biobele Georgewill, parties involved in the dispute were granted permission to pursue an out-of-court settlement, and the case was adjourned indefinitely after lawyers representing both sides agreed to reconciliation talks.
Following the court decisions, stakeholders including the Adolphus Wabara-led Board of Trustees signalled readiness to pursue reconciliation alongside the governors’ camp and the Wike-aligned caretaker committee.
Sources within the party said a committee comprising about six representatives from each faction, including legal advisers, held its first meeting on Friday to identify key issues requiring resolution. Members reportedly agreed to return to their respective camps to gather positions and conditions from stakeholders before presenting them at the next meeting.
A source also disclosed that Bala Mohammed, the Governor of Bauchi State, who had initially opposed reconciliation with Wike’s camp, had now softened his stance and held discussions with stakeholders from both sides.
According to another party insider, the committee has yet to determine whether the crisis will ultimately be resolved through a fresh national convention or the establishment of an interim caretaker committee.
A member of the Board of Trustees aligned with the Turaki faction, Fasiu Bakene, said reconciliation became necessary following recent court rulings that effectively left the party without a recognised national leadership structure.
Bakene explained that while the court upheld the suspension of some members of the Wike camp, including Anyanwu, it also nullified the Ibadan convention that produced the NWC, leaving the Board of Trustees as the only remaining structure.
He added that the reconciliation committee would include representatives from both camps to ensure fairness and transparency in the process.
Ememobong also confirmed that the reconciliation process was ongoing and urged all sides to maintain the status quo while negotiations continued to avoid actions capable of derailing the peace process.
Earlier, he warned that the alleged dissolution of state executive committees in Ogun, Ekiti and Ondo states by Wike’s faction could undermine ongoing reconciliation efforts.
Despite the talks, Anyanwu insisted that preparations for a national convention scheduled for April 29 and 30 would continue. He maintained that the Turaki group could no longer be regarded as a separate faction and expressed confidence that the party would soon have a new National Working Committee.
Similarly, the Chairman of the Osun State chapter of the PDP, Sunday Bisi, said the Wike-aligned camp remained open to dialogue but stressed that the planned convention would proceed as scheduled.
Meanwhile, the party’s North Central Zonal Legal Adviser, Abubakar Issa, criticised moves to reconcile with Wike, accusing the minister of betraying the PDP by supporting President Bola Tinubu during the last general election.
Issa warned that reconciling with a member who openly backed the presidential candidate of a rival party could weaken internal discipline and undermine the credibility of the PDP ahead of the 2027 elections.
