Rival camps within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have disagreed over the planned national convention scheduled for March 29–30, 2026, with each side maintaining its position amid ongoing legal disputes, the party said on Thursday.
The disagreement follows a Federal High Court judgment in Ibadan on January 30, 2026, which annulled the PDP national convention held on November 15, 2025, and ordered some party leaders to cease presenting themselves as national officers of the party.
The planned national convention is meant to elect new leadership for the party ahead of national events, including preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Both the Wike-aligned and Makinde-aligned camps have taken differing positions on the scheduling and authority for the event.
The PDP National Caretaker Committee, backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Nyesom Wike, said the national convention will go ahead as scheduled from March 29 to March 30, 2026.
The committee said it has formally informed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the planned dates.
The acting National Chairman of the caretaker committee is Mohammed Abdulrahman, with Samuel Anyanwu serving as acting national secretary.
The committee’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Jungudo Mohammed, said party leaders remain committed to organising an inclusive convention.
The Governor Seyi Makinde-aligned PDP camp, led by Tanimu Turaki (SAN), however, objected to the Wike-aligned plan.
The faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Ini Ememobong, said the group lacks the capacity and authority to organise the event and described the exercise as “futile.”
Mr. Ememobong said, “They lack the capacity and the locus to do so. They have been expelled from the PDP, so any gathering they hold in the name of the party will be an exercise in futility.”
Mr. Jungudo Mohammed said the convention preparations will follow “all the steps as stated in the PDP Constitution and the Electoral Act” and described the scheduled event as an “all-inclusive exercise.”
The disagreement between the Wike-aligned and Makinde-aligned camps highlights internal disputes within the PDP as the party prepares for internal elections and broader national contests.
The matter remains subject to ongoing legal processes, with the national headquarters in Abuja reportedly sealed and neither faction currently recognised by INEC.
The outcome of these disputes may influence the party’s organisational structure and planning ahead of the 2027 general elections, as leadership and recognition issues continue.
