…Wike, Makinde/Bala Factions Confident of Victory
By Franklin Adole
The battle for the soul of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) reached a dramatic climax on Monday as rival factions within the opposition party expressed confidence that the Court of Appeal of Nigeria would rule in their favour in a series of consolidated cases that could determine the party’s leadership.
Both camps, one aligned with PDP governors and the other loyal to Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, said legal precedents and statutory provisions strongly support their positions ahead of the much-anticipated judgement in Abuja.
The National Publicity Secretary of the National Working Committee led by Tanimu Turaki (SAN), Ini Ememobong, confirmed to the media that the appellate court had fixed Monday for judgement in the leadership dispute.
Turaki’s leadership emerged from the party’s Ibadan convention of November 15, which was backed by key PDP governors, including Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State.
On the other side, the spokesman for a rival caretaker committee loyal to Wike, Jungudo Mohammed, also confirmed the scheduled ruling, insisting that the faction expects the court to invalidate the convention that produced Turaki and his team.
Both sides declared that they were confident the judgement would tilt the balance of power in their favour.
The governors’ camp maintains that the Ibadan convention lawfully produced a new National Working Committee with Turaki elected to serve a four-year tenure.
The governors also oversaw the transition of leadership from former acting national chairman Umar Damagum to Turaki shortly before Damagum’s tenure expired on 9 December.
But a rival faction loyal to Wike rejected the process and, on 8 December, constituted a 13-member caretaker committee, naming Mohammed Abdulrahman as Acting National Chairman and Samuel Anyanwu as Acting National Secretary with a 60-day mandate to run the party.
Attempts by both factions to hold meetings at the PDP National Secretariat, Wadata Plaza, on 18 November 2025, degenerated into disorder and a physical clash among supporters.
Following the incident, the Nigeria Police Force sealed the secretariat, which has remained closed since then.
One of the key cases before the appellate court, which is Suit FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025, had earlier produced a ruling halting the PDP convention until the party complied fully with its constitution, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the Electoral Act.
The case was instituted by three PDP members: Austin Nwachukwu (Imo State chairman), Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia State chairman), and Turnah Alabh George (South-South secretary).
Another significant case was filed by former governor Sule Lamido, in which Justice Peter Lifu restrained INEC from supervising or recognising any PDP convention that excluded him as a contestant.
Three other suits, including one originating from the Oyo State High Court, also challenge the legality of the November 15–16 convention.
A separate case, FHC/ABJ/CS/2520/2025, contests the closure of the party’s national secretariat by the police.
After hearing arguments from all parties on February 12, the Court of Appeal last week notified lawyers that judgment in the consolidated suits would be delivered on Monday.
Speaking ahead of the ruling, Jungudo Mohammed said the Wike-aligned faction is confident the court will invalidate the convention.
“Yes, we are very optimistic. The provisions of the law and precedents already established by the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal give us strong confidence that the judgment will be in our favour,” he told the press.
According to him, the convention violated both the Electoral Act and the PDP constitution.
“You cannot violate the law and expect it to stand. What they did amounts to building something on nothing,” he said.
He also dismissed claims that the matter falls strictly within the party’s internal affairs, arguing that recent Supreme Court of Nigeria judgments have clarified that courts can intervene where legal violations occur.
But the Turaki-led NWC insisted the judiciary would uphold the convention and the legitimacy of its leadership.
“Our optimism lies in the fact that we submitted ourselves to the jurisdiction of the courts and we believe in the judiciary in its complete sense,” Ememobong said.
He added that the party would carefully study the reasoning of the court before determining its next steps if the ruling does not favour them.
“Every judgment is based on reasoning. You listen to the reasoning of the court before you take any decision,” he said.
Meanwhile, the PDP Governors Forum has urged party members to remain calm and respect the judicial process.
In a statement signed by its Director-General, Dr Emmanuel Agbo, the forum described the ruling as a defining moment for Nigeria’s democracy and the future of the PDP.
“The judiciary, as the custodian of justice, carries the weight of ensuring fairness, impartiality, and the preservation of national stability,” the statement said.
The forum assured members that regardless of the outcome, the party remains committed to offering Nigerians a credible political alternative ahead of the 2027 general elections.