By Muhammad Mamman
Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is mired in a deepening leadership crisis after what political insiders say is a tacit recognition by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of a faction backed by Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike. 
On Tuesday, government officials and party insiders reported that INEC has given de‑facto recognition to the National Caretaker Committee of the PDP led by Abdulrahman Mohammed — a group aligned with Minister Wike and Senator Samuel Anyanwu. 
The development comes as the party’s long‑running leadership dispute intensifies ahead of the 2027 general elections, with rival camps trading legal challenges and political barbs. 
For months, the PDP has been fractured between two powerful blocs. One camp supports the leadership elected at a party convention in Ibadan in November 2025, headed by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki as national chairman. This group is recognised by many PDP governors and key stakeholders and fought in court to have its authority upheld. 
But the Wike‑aligned faction has rejected that convention as unlawful and suspended Turaki and others at its own meetings. The group dissolved key zonal structures and moved internal conventions, a step that has drawn public criticism from several state governors and other party officials. 
The situation has led to a wave of legal manoeuvring. The Wike faction welcomed favourable judgments from the Federal High Court in Ibadan, which have at times restrained the authority of the Turaki‑led committee, while both sides continue to seek favourable interpretations of party rules and electoral law. 
Despite the divisions, Wike’s camp has pledged to hold an “all‑inclusive” national convention scheduled for March 28–29, 2026, saying it will comply with party and electoral laws — a move rejected by opponents within the PDP as undermining party unity. 
Political analysts say the rift within Africa’s oldest opposition party risks undermining its ability to compete effectively in upcoming elections and could further erode public confidence in democratic processes unless reconciliatory steps are taken soon.
