One wing of the Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday night, insisting the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee elected in Ibadan on 16 November is the only valid team running the party.
In a statement signed by National Publicity Secretary Ini Ememobong, the group also accused the Independent National Electoral Commission of hiding behind court orders to avoid updating its records with the new names.
INEC’s letter of 22 December—sent to Turaki’s lawyers Akintayo Balogun & Co and signed by Secretary Dr. Rose Oriaran-Anthony—said it could not recognise the Ibadan convention results “in compliance with the law and existing court orders.” The commission cited pending judgments that question the validity of the gathering.
The Turaki camp dismissed the objection: “The judgments have been appealed and we have asked for a stay of execution. The Court of Appeal will rule soon. Until then, INEC was in the room when the convention date was chosen and received every statutory notice.”
A long-running split sits behind the stand-off. PDP governors backed the Ibadan convention as a smooth hand-off from outgoing chair Umar Damagum, whose term ended 9 December. But on 8 December, FCT minister Nyesom Wike and his allies—Mohammed Abdulrahman and Senator Samuel Anyanwu—installed themselves as acting chairman and secretary respectively and unveiled a 13-member, 60-day caretaker committee.
Both factions now want INEC to list their officials, yet the commission says it cannot move until the courts speak.
