The members of the reconciliation committee from the faction of PDP loyal to FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and the PDP governors are expected to meet on Monday as the joint panel prepares to harmonise conditions for resolving the lingering crisis within the party.
This was revealed to by a senior PDP leader who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Similarly, the National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, and the governors’ camp, led by Tanimu Turaki, announced that the reconciliation panel would convene to discuss the problems.
In an interview with Sunday PUNCH, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the National Secretary of the Wike-backed National Caretaker Committee, expressed optimism that the party would soon overcome its internal problems.
Crisis points
Turaki and other members of the National Working Committee were elected to four-year terms at the Ibadan convention on November 15, which the PDP governors had previously supported.
They also supervised the transfer of leadership from former Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, to Turaki before Damagum’s tenure expired on December 9.
However, on December 8, the faction loyal to Minister Nyesom Wike established a 13-member Caretaker Committee with a 60-day mandate, appointing Mohammed Abdulrahman as Acting National Chairman and Anyanwu as Acting National Secretary.
Attempts by both the Wike-loyal faction and the governors’ camp to hold separate meetings at the PDP National Secretariat in Wadata Plaza on November 18, 2025, turned chaotic, leading to physical clashes.
Following the incident, the Nigeria Police Force sealed the secretariat, which has remained shut since then.
Following this, , both factions sought accreditation from the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC). However, the commission refused to recognise either group, which sparked a number of legal disputes as the 2027 general elections got closer.
The Court of Appeal heard the consolidated lawsuits pertaining to the PDP leadership crisis on February 12 and rendered a decision on March 9.
The appellate court upheld the earlier ruling of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which concluded that the procedures leading to the November 15–16 Ibadan National Convention, supported by the governors, violated the PDP Constitution, the Nigerian Constitution, and the Electoral Act. The panel led by Justice Mohammed Danjuma delivered the decision.
READ ALSO: PDP Crisis Deepens as Factions Race Against Time Over Failed Reconciliation Attempt
As a result, the court nullified the outcome of the convention, declaring the election of Turaki and other members of the NWC invalid.
Reconciliation moves
Additionally, a source revealed that Bala Mohammed, the governor of Bauchi State, is now amenable to the reconciliation process after previously opposing it.
The source claims that a committee made up of members and solicitors from both sides met on Friday.
Another source privy to the development disclosed that no decision had yet been made on whether the process would be resolved through a convention or an interim caretaker committee.
Party survival paramount – Turaki faction
Fasiu Bakene, a member of the Turaki-led faction’s Board of Trustees, confirmed the news to Sunday PUNCH, citing recent court decisions that left the party without a defined national leadership structure as the reason.
Bakene clarified that the Court of Appeal’s ruling in Abuja, which rejected the leadership claims of both sides in the conflict, had an impact on the decision to seek peace.
He pointed out that the court nullified the Ibadan convention that resulted in the NWC, even though it maintained the suspension of some members of the Wike-aligned group, including Anyanwu, the party’s National Secretary.
“The judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja did not give leadership to either side. While it upheld the suspension of Anyanwu, Ajibade and others from the Wike side, it also invalidated the Ibadan convention which produced the NWC.
“So, if the court said the convention is invalidated, it means there is no NWC and no caretaker committee. The only structure that remains in existence now is the Board of Trustees,” he said.
He pointed out that in order to guarantee process fairness, the reconciliation committee would include people from both sides.
If reconciliation negotiations are successful, Bakene doubted that the Wike camp would support the proposed convention.
“If we are going into reconciliation, that should be one of the issues on the table. We will also make it clear that we are proceeding to the Supreme Court, and all of these matters will be sorted out,” he added.
He stated that the creation of a caretaker committee to oversee the party’s operations before to the upcoming general elections could be one result of the reconciliation.
Wike’s camp sets conditions
In an interview with newsmen, Anyanwu emphasised that the Turaki group could no longer be considered a distinct section and stated that the party was already overcoming internal conflicts.
However, Anyanwu maintained that the planned national convention, which was set for March 29 and 30, could not be postponed.
“We have come to the conclusion that the so-called Turaki-led faction is no longer a faction. We only have one PDP now, under the leadership of the chairman of the National Caretaker Committee.
“By April 2, we are going to have a new National Working Committee of the party and we will continue from where we stopped.
“We are moving ahead with our convention. Preparations are already going on for that and the convention will take place on the 29th and 30th of April,” he stated.
He, however, acknowledged ongoing reconciliation efforts within the PDP, noting that Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, had initiated moves to bridge the divide.
He said, “Governor Makinde himself has reached out for reconciliation, but like our leader said, we want a sincere and honest reconciliation. In politics, there is no permanent friend or enemy; it is all about interest.”
Sunday Bisi, the chairman of the PDP’s Osun State chapter, also spoke, stating that while the Wike-aligned camp was still amenable to reconciliation, the party’s convention would go ahead as planned.
He claims that Wike made it clear that the party’s upcoming convention and the current caretaker leadership would not be impacted by the reconciliation.
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