The crisis rocking the opposition Peoples Democratic Party worsened on Tuesday as governors in the party distanced themselves from the consensus selection of a national chairman and secretary by the Nyesom Wike-backed faction, insisting on legal redress and a review of the process.
This is as Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Abdulrahman Mohammed emerged as consensus candidates for National Secretary and National Chairman, respectively, backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Credible senior PDP members aligned with the governors-backed National Working Committee led by Tanimu Turaki (SAN), who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to reveal the development, told The PUNCH that they would pursue all available legal avenues to ensure the crisis is resolved in their favour.
Meanwhile, very high-ranking members of the Wike-backed National Caretaker Committee, who requested anonymity because they are not authorised to speak on the matter, revealed in an exclusive interview on Tuesday that all geopolitical zones had agreed on consensus candidates for NWC positions ahead of the March 29–30 National Convention.
The insiders revealed that Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Abdulrahman Mohammed have emerged as consensus candidates for National Secretary and National Chairman, respectively, of the PDP backed by Wike.
After nearly a year of internal crisis, the PDP became divided into two opposing factions.
To worsen the situation, the governors’ camp, backed by Seyi Makinde (Oyo State) and Bala Mohammed (Bauchi State), proceeded with a convention on November 16 in Ibadan, Oyo State, where Tanimu Turaki (SAN) and other officials were elected into the National Working Committee.
In response, the Wike-led faction established a 13-member National Caretaker Working Committee in December, appointing Mohammed as Acting National Chairman and Anyanwu as Acting National Secretary, alongside other members, to oversee the party for 60 days pending a substantive convention.
On February 12, the Court of Appeal heard consolidated suits arising from the leadership crisis and delivered judgment on March 9.
A panel led by Justice Mohammed Danjuma affirmed an earlier ruling of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which held that the processes leading to the Ibadan convention breached the Electoral Act, the Nigerian Constitution, and the PDP Constitution.
Consequently, the court nullified the convention and declared the election of Turaki and other NWC members invalid.
