• Makinde risks expulsion, Fayose warns
• Hashim says reconciliation still possible
The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has worsened despite the party’s national convention at the weekend, with more leaders and prominent members resigning from the opposition party.
Although the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognised the convention organised by a faction loyal to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, the legality of the exercise is now before the courts. A rival bloc backed by Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has intensified its legal battle over the party’s leadership.
The dispute, which has moved beyond internal party disagreements, has taken a constitutional dimension that could determine who controls the PDP and test the extent of judicial intervention in party affairs.
In a statement issued by Ini Ememobong, National Publicity Secretary of the Makinde-aligned factional National Working Committee, the group confirmed it had approached the courts, including the Supreme Court, to resolve issues surrounding the disputed convention and leadership.
The faction accused the Wike-backed group of going ahead with the convention despite ongoing proceedings at the Court of Appeal in Ibadan.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we state that the pre-Easter jamboree of APC sympathisers and members of ‘Wike’s Autocratic Party’, which they mischievously tagged a PDP convention, was held in contempt of the Court of Appeal,” the statement said.
The crisis escalated after the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled on the dispute over access to the party’s national secretariat. Justice Joyce Abdulmalik granted reliefs sought by the Wike-aligned faction and barred the Kabiru Turaki-led group from accessing the PDP national secretariat, while directing security agencies to protect the recognised faction.
The judge also declared the convention organised by the Turaki-led faction in Ibadan in November 2025 unconstitutional and void, noting that it violated subsisting court orders. The purported expulsion of Wike and his allies from that convention was also described as an affront to the rule of law.
Following Sunday’s convention, INEC updated its website to reflect a new National Working Committee headed by Mohammed Abdulrahman as National Chairman and Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary. The development is seen as strengthening the Wike-backed faction ahead of the 2027 general elections.
However, former PDP Deputy National Chairman, Olabode George, criticised INEC’s recognition of the faction, describing it as deceitful and dishonest. He insisted Wike and his allies had earlier been expelled and warned that the electoral body’s action could weaken opposition politics ahead of 2027.
George urged party members to remain calm and await the Supreme Court’s decision, expressing confidence that justice would prevail.
Meanwhile, former Ekiti State governor Ayodele Fayose warned that Governor Makinde risks expulsion from the party. He accused the Oyo governor of pursuing legal action while claiming to be negotiating, adding that the party would not wait for him.
According to Fayose, Makinde was already under suspension and could eventually be expelled, warning that the governor might also lose political ground in Oyo State.
As the leadership crisis deepens, more defections have hit the party. The PDP’s 2023 governorship candidate in Kaduna State, Isa Ashiru, formally resigned his membership and announced his move to the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Ashiru contested the 2023 election and challenged the result up to the Supreme Court, which upheld the victory of APC’s Uba Sani.
Also, former Minister of State for the FCT, Jumoke Akinjide, resigned her membership of the PDP after more than two decades in the party. In her resignation letter dated March 30, 2026, she said her decision takes immediate effect, though she did not disclose her next political destination.
Despite the worsening crisis, PDP presidential aspirant Gbenga Hashim said reconciliation remains possible. He urged leaders of the various factions to resume dialogue, warning that continued division could weaken the party’s standing as a major opposition force.
Hashim noted that ongoing legal proceedings at the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court offer legitimate avenues for resolving the dispute, adding that a consent judgment could still be reached through political compromise. He also stressed the need to harmonise parallel party structures and restore unity within the PDP.
