Nigeria’s main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is facing renewed internal tension as Nyesom Wike has declared that the party’s planned national convention will proceed as scheduled, dismissing a last-minute legal challenge by a rival faction.
Wike, who currently serves as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), said the appeal filed by a faction of the party led by Kabiru Turaki at the Supreme Court would not derail preparations for the convention slated for March 29 and 30 in Abuja.
The Turaki-led faction had approached the apex court on Friday, seeking an order to restrain the Wike-backed group from conducting the convention. The legal action follows ongoing disputes over the legitimacy of party structures and previous congresses.
At the heart of the dispute is the controversial November 2025 PDP convention held in Ibadan, which produced Turaki as factional national chairman. That exercise was later nullified by the Court of Appeal in Abuja on March 9, 2026, on grounds that it violated guidelines set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The appellate court upheld an earlier ruling of the Federal High Court, which had stopped the Ibadan convention, citing the party’s failure to conduct valid state congresses as required by law and its constitution.
Despite that ruling, the Turaki faction insists that the courts lack jurisdiction over what it describes as internal party affairs, forming one of the key grounds of its appeal now before the Supreme Court.
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However, Wike has brushed aside the legal challenge, expressing confidence that the convention will go ahead without disruption. Speaking after inspecting the venue in Abuja, he emphasized inclusivity within the party, noting that disagreements are inevitable in a large political organisation but should not stall its processes.
He further disclosed that zoning arrangements had already been agreed upon to ease tensions, with the presidential ticket zoned to the south and the party chairmanship to the north—an arrangement he believes will foster consensus.
The Wike-backed camp had moved to organise a fresh convention following the nullification of the Ibadan exercise, setting the stage for a direct confrontation between parallel leadership claims within the party.
The crisis has exposed deep fractures within the PDP, with multiple power blocs—including those aligned with governors such as Seyi Makinde and Bala Mohammed—jostling for control ahead of future electoral cycles.
As both factions dig in, the outcome of the Supreme Court appeal and the conduct of the March convention are expected to significantly shape the PDP’s internal stability and its readiness as a national opposition force heading into the 2027 political season.
