Eshioromeh Sebastian
The Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared that the sale of nomination forms for the 2027 general elections is ongoing, insisting that nothing the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, says or does can stop the process.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Turaki faction dismissed Wike’s recent media briefing as a “political swan song” and “the last kicks of a dying horse,” urging Nigerians to ignore the minister’s outbursts.
The faction also issued a rare apology to Nigerians for “offering a platform” to Wike, whose conduct, it said, has become a national and international disgrace.
The statement, signed by the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, came as a direct response to comments made by Wike during his monthly media chat in Abuja on Wednesday.
During that media chat, the FCT minister had issued a series of stern warnings aimed at the faction loyal to Tanimu Turaki (SAN) and former Senate President Adolphus Wabara.
Wike vowed to seal any building in the Federal Capital Territory used by the faction to sell nomination forms, describing such actions as “illegality and defiance of court judgment.”
He also warned that any bank that opens an account for the sale of PDP forms by the group would face “consequences,” adding that he would have the “silk stripped” off Turaki, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, if he proceeded.
“I dare them, let me see an office you will name PDP national secretariat… If you are saying that you want to sell form, to who? You will submit it where? Is that not fraud?” Wike queried.
He insisted that the legitimate national secretariat of the PDP remains at Wadata House, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja, and that the party’s recognised National Working Committee is led by Abdulrahman Mohammed.
But reacting in a statement on Wednesday, the Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee dismissed Wike’s threats as empty.
“The sale of forms is ongoing, and there is nothing Wike can do about it. His delusional boast of dealing with banks that will open accounts for us is delusional, as he is already aware that we are operating accounts of the party, which is why his group of friends are receiving money through private accounts,” the statement read.
The faction explained that Wike’s frustration stems from the realisation that the party is moving ahead with its convention to elect a presidential candidate, meaning he has failed in his promise to “hold down” the party for his principal.
“No National Leader Position”
The Turaki faction also took a swipe at Wike’s political ambition, noting that he will never become the National Leader of the PDP because no such office exists in the party’s constitution.
“We sympathize with Wike for the pain concomitant with the realisation that he will not and can never be the National Leader of our party, as no such office exists in our constitution; and even if it did, he, by conduct and speech, would be grossly insufficient to assume such an exalted office,” the party said.
During his media chat on Wednesday, Wike had also used the opportunity to criticise other political figures, including Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi.
On Fubara, Wike accused his successor of neglecting governance by failing to present the 2025 budget to the Rivers State House of Assembly while pursuing his 2027 re-election ambition. He claimed that Fubara had reneged on a peace agreement brokered by President Bola Tinubu, where he allegedly promised not to seek re-election.
On Obi, the FCT Minister mocked the former Anambra governor over his recent defection to the National Democratic Congress (NDC), accusing him of moving from party to party looking for “where food is ready.”
Wike also reiterated that the Supreme Court’s April 30 ruling, which nullified the Ibadan convention that produced the Turaki-led caretaker committee, means any parallel structure is illegal. He insisted that only a leadership recognised by the courts can lawfully run the party.
“You cannot disobey court judgments and then turn around to deceive Nigerians that you have a legitimate structure. That is not how democracy works,” Wike said.
However, the Turaki-led PDP faction maintained that the Supreme Court judgment does not stop its plans.
“Nigerians are assured that there is no amount of threats that will frighten the truth, and that though lies like those vomited by Wike travel faster than the truth, they will not reduce the efficacy of the truth when it arrives,” the statement concluded.
The faction also encouraged those allegedly defamed by Wike to seek legal redress, asserting that “no one is, and should be allowed to be, above the law.”
Justice Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja is expected to rule on the substantive leadership dispute, but the Turaki faction has vowed to continue its preparations for the 2027 elections regardless of Wike’s opposition.
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