…Don’t Form ‘a Faction of Fools,’ Bauchi Gov Cautions
…Party Leaders Hurl Brickbats Ahead of Convention
By Jeremy Fregene
Tensions are rising in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of its national elective convention, scheduled for November 15–16 in Ibadan, as Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed has taken aim at Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike and his allies, warning them against destabilising the party.
Mohammed, speaking in response to recent moves by Wike and his loyalists to form a counterforce within the PDP, accused them of seeking to undermine the party’s unity. “This is not the time to form a faction of fools,” the governor said, urging party members to put collective interest above personal ambitions.
The confrontation follows the September 1 meeting of a group styling itself as the Eminent Leaders and Concerned Stakeholders of the PDP, which issued a communique demanding far-reaching reforms before the convention. The group, which included Wike, PDP National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, former governors Samuel Ortom, Okezie Ikpeazu, Ayo Fayose, and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, among others, insisted that fairness, inclusivity, and judicial pronouncements must be respected.
The communiqué, read by Ortom, declared:
“We, the Eminent Leaders and Concerned Stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), having met to review the state of our great party and assessed the critical issues leading to the forthcoming National Convention, do hereby express our collective commitment to the principles of equity, justice, inclusivity, and the rule of law — values upon which the PDP was founded and upon which its survival depends.”
The group observed that the PDP stood at “a defining crossroads where its ability to reconcile internal disputes, uphold fairness, and respect constitutional processes will determine its future relevance,” stressing that “unity cannot be built on disenfranchisement, exclusion, or the neglect of valid judicial pronouncements.”
It called on the National Working Committee (NWC) to urgently conduct fresh congresses in Ebonyi, Anambra, and Ekiti States, as well as a new South-East zonal congress, in line with court judgments. The communiqué further insisted that the valid outcome of the South-South congress held in Calabar be respected.
On zoning, the group affirmed NEC’s earlier decision that the national chairman remain in the North-Central but warned strongly against any form of micro-zoning, which it said could destabilise the party.
Concluding, the leaders cautioned: “Failure to comply with the above resolutions and demands shall render any purported national convention invalid, as legitimate members of the party would be disenfranchised. The PDP was built on the foundation of inclusivity, fairness, and justice. Therefore, to reclaim its pride of place as the leading opposition and the true alternative for Nigerians, the party must now rise above narrow interests and embrace collective responsibility.”
But in a swift counter-statement made available to this newspaper by Umar Sani, a former presidential campaign spokesman and one-time media aide to ex-Vice President Namadi Sambo, the PDP leadership dismissed the Eminent Leaders’ communiqué as hypocritical and self-serving.
Titled “The Hypocrisy of the Self-Styled Eminent Leaders”, the statement described the group as “an illegal gathering of renegades who have consistently been behind the turbulence rocking the party.”
It read in part: “Ordinarily, the PDP welcomes diverse opinions because it is a democratic platform built on inclusion, dialogue, and fairness. But this particular assembly is nothing more than an illegal gathering of renegades whose hypocrisy is legendary. Looking through their observations and resolutions, one cannot help but notice the irony. The same individuals who perfected the art of impunity and imposition now demand transparent processes.”
The statement further recalled past instances of internal manipulation, including the imposition of former chairmen Ali Modu Sheriff, Ahmed Makarfi, Uche Secondus, and Iyorchia Ayu, arguing that those now clamouring for reform had themselves undermined due process in the past.
On zoning, the PDP’s response insisted that micro-zoning remained a long-standing and legitimate practice among geopolitical entities, citing past arrangements between Kaduna and Katsina over party offices.
It also dismissed the group’s demands for fresh congresses, pointing to Supreme Court judgments which held that internal party congresses are not justiciable.
“The truth is simple,” the statement continued. “The PDP has a constitution, organs, and a collective leadership. No individual, no matter how loud, is the moral compass of the party. True leaders remain within the party’s structures, respect its constitution, and pursue unity rather than division.”
With the party’s elective convention less than three months away, the war of words between governors, former leaders, and serving officials signals a turbulent path to Ibadan. Whether the PDP can manage its internal disputes and present a united front remains uncertain.