James Adams, Abuja
In a move that deepens the crisis rocking Nigeria’s main opposition party, the faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has openly challenged its rival, the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-led group, to provide concrete evidence of its recognition by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The challenge was issued on Thursday by the faction’s new spokesman, Haruna Mohammed, following a meeting of its National Caretaker Committee in Abuja. The faction declared that the Turaki group’s claims of INEC’s acceptance of its executives, following a national convention held in Ibadan on November 15 and 16, are “falsehood” and a “nullity.”
“It is important to let the public know that the claims making the rounds in the media that the Turaki illegal Executives have been accepted by INEC are false,” Mohammed stated. “We, therefore, challenge Turaki to produce the code with which he uploaded his Exco to the INEC portal.”
The faction dismissed a document from the Turaki camp regarding the Ekiti State governorship election as “stale,” asserting it was signed by former PDP officials, Amb. Ilya Damagum and Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who are no longer in office. They insisted that genuine recognition is only confirmed by access to INEC’s dedicated portal for candidate and party executive submission.
“Not until the INEC code is produced, it should be known that the Turaki group is not recognised and whatever they claim is a nullity and falsehood,” the spokesman added.
Amidst this war of legitimacy, the Wike-aligned faction unveiled its own roadmap for the party’s future. Its caretaker committee approved a calendar to conduct state congresses in 14 states, including Borno, Bauchi, Lagos, and Kano, starting from January 9, 2026.
The faction stated that a national convention would only follow the conclusion of these congresses, though no specific date was announced.
In a parallel move to consolidate its structure, the faction also announced an expansion of its National Caretaker Committee. New members include Prof. Adenike Ogunse as Women Leader, Engr. Deji Dohati as Deputy National Secretary, Senator Olaka Nwaogu as Treasurer, and Ambassador Dr. Ibrahim Bala-Aboki as Youth Leader.
Haruna Mohammed concluded by asserting that there is only one legitimate PDP, which is the one headed by Abdulrahman Mohammed, and warned those “putting the image of the party to disrepute” to desist.
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