The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has deepened at the state level, with the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) and supporters of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, operating under the National Caretaker Committee, locked in a battle for control of state and zonal chapters.
Daily Sun reports that at least 20 state chapters and three zones are currently divided, with rival factions running parallel structures as they vie for dominance ahead of the 2027 general election.
Following the PDP National Convention in Ibadan, the Turaki-led NWC set up caretaker committees for Rivers, Enugu, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and Zamfara states, pending local congresses.
Meanwhile, the Wike-supported caretaker committee recently dissolved State Working Committees (SWCs) in 14 states, including Borno, Bauchi, Oyo, Zamfara, Yobe, Ekiti, Bayelsa, Enugu, Ebonyi, Anambra, Delta, Taraba, Kano, and Lagos, and scheduled fresh congresses for January 9, 2026. The faction has already announced caretaker committees for Ebonyi, Oyo, and Lagos.
PDP National Publicity Secretary Ini Ememobong told Daily Sun that the majority of party members back the Turaki-led NWC. He described the rival faction’s actions as inconsequential, asserting that the NWC is preparing to hold congresses in states without substantive executives.
“They know what they are doing. But without power, their actions are meaningless. They are just setting up structures to show the President they are in control. True PDP members preparing for elections are following the Turaki-led administration,” Ememobong said.
Conversely, caretaker committee member Okechukwu Osuoha stated that they have formally notified the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) about the planned congresses in the 14 states. He emphasized that the National Caretaker Committee is the legitimate PDP leadership.
“One of our mandates is to hold congresses in the 14 states where they have not occurred. The court confirmed this. We have informed INEC, and after these congresses, we will conduct a national convention to elect officers. Any other claims are illegal,” Osuoha said.
The current crisis escalated after the Ibadan convention, which elected Turaki’s NWC, expelled Wike, former Ekiti governor Ayo Fayose, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, Kamaldeen Ajibade, Umar Bature, among others, and dissolved SWCs in six states.
In response, the Wike camp, which dismissed the convention as a “jamboree,” expelled Bauchi Governor Bala Mohammed, Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde, Zamfara Governor Lawal Dauda, Umar Damagum, Adolphis Wabara, and Chief Olabode George, and constituted a 13-member National Caretaker Committee led by Abdulraham Mohammed for 60 days.
The PDP has been in turmoil since the last general election, with tensions between the PDP Governors, led by Bala Mohammed and Seyi Makinde, and Wike over control of the party machinery. The crisis has weakened the opposition, triggering defections of some governors, National Assembly members, and party leaders.
