A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party backed by Seyi Makinde on Monday ratified a 13-member caretaker committee led by Tanimu Turaki as chairman, deepening an internal leadership crisis within Nigeria’s main opposition party.
The decision was taken at a Makinde-backed National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja, where members approved the interim National Working Committee following a motion moved by Edo State PDP Chairman Tony Aziegbemi and seconded by Clement Fagboyede.
Other members of the caretaker committee include Hamza Akuyam Koshe, Daniel Woyenikuro, Richard Ihediwa, Isa Abubakar, Okechekwu Obiechina Daniel, Theophilus Dakas Shan, Ini Ememobong, Aribisala Adewale Idowu, Bara’u Shafi, Anthonia Chinenyenwa and Umar Dan Aji. Former Oyo deputy governor Taofeek Arapaja will serve as secretary.
Speaking after the meeting, Makinde said his faction would continue its push despite opposition, describing the situation as a struggle for democracy.
However, a rival faction aligned with Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike rejected the meeting, describing it as unauthorized and dismissing the caretaker committee as lacking legal standing.
The dispute follows an April 30 ruling by the Supreme Court of Nigeria, which in a split 3-2 decision nullified a Makinde-backed PDP national convention held in Ibadan in November 2025 that produced the Turaki-led leadership. The court said the convention violated existing orders restraining the party from proceeding.
In response, Board of Trustees Chairman Adolphus Wabara said the party currently lacks a recognized leadership and that the BoT intervened to restore stability and reconciliation.
Wabara directed party staff to return to work and said the BoT secured the support of two-thirds of NEC members to convene the meeting and set up a caretaker committee.
But the Wike-aligned faction’s spokesman, Jungudo Mohammed, rejected claims of a leadership vacuum, insisting that Abdulrahman Mohammed and Samuel Anyanwu remain the party’s national chairman and secretary, respectively.
Following the NEC meeting, the Makinde-backed faction also held a National Working Committee session, where it fixed nomination fees for the 2027 elections at 100 million naira for the presidential ticket and 40 million naira for governorship aspirants. Senate, House of Representatives and state assembly forms were set at 10 million naira, 7 million naira and 2 million naira, respectively.
According to a schedule released by the committee, sales of expression of interest and nomination forms will run from May 5 to May 13, with submission due May 14. Screening is scheduled for May 15 to May 18, while ward primaries will hold May 27. The NEC is expected to ratify candidates May 29, followed by a special convention May 30.
Female aspirants will pay only for expression of interest forms, while youths and persons with disabilities will receive a 50% discount on nomination forms.
The rival faction said it had already begun selling nomination forms on April 27, with the process expected to end May 7, further highlighting divisions within the party.
Nigeria’s electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission, has scheduled presidential and National Assembly elections for Jan. 16, 2027, and governorship and state assembly elections for Feb. 6, 2027. It said party primaries will take place between April 23 and May 30, 2026, with campaigns beginning Aug. 19 for presidential and National Assembly races and Sept. 9 for governorship contests.
Makinde maintained the interim leadership was lawfully constituted, saying the meeting met the constitutional requirement of two-thirds NEC attendance and that the party would formally communicate its decisions to INEC.
The rival faction, however, warned party members and the public to disregard the meeting and its resolutions, calling it illegitimate and without constitutional authority.
