THE LEADERSHIP crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Monday, took a new dimension as a group backed by Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State inaugurated a 13-member Interim National Working Committee (INWC) to steer the affairs of the party.
The interim NWC, with Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, as Chairman and Taofeek Arapaja as Secretary, was inaugurated and sworn in at the party’s 103rd National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the faction in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the motion for the setting up of the interim NWC was moved by the Chairman of the Forum of State Chairmen, Anthony Aziegbemi, and seconded by the Chairman of the Forum of Ex-officials, Clement Faboyede.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Sen. Adolphus Wabara, who presided over the NEC meeting, said the key decision was to approve and appoint an interim NWC for the party.
Wabara explained that the BoT assumed administrative leadership following an April 30, 2026, Supreme Court judgment that stripped the party of a National Working Committee (NWC) by invalidating previous conventions.
He stated that the BoT’s intervention was necessary to avoid a leadership vacuum and to rescue the nation in line with the hopes of Nigerians.
“Today, the hope of millions of Nigerians lies in the return of the PDP to power in 2027,” the BoT chairman said.
Wabara, who said that it was time to reposition the PDP as the platform for Nigerians to reclaim power in 2027, urged all genuine members of the party to set aside personal interests for the greater good.
“In the last five days, the BoT has taken bold steps to stabilise, stimulate and put our party back on solid footing.
“Such steps include engaging in very wide consultations among critical stakeholders and leveraging on the consent of two-thirds of the members of NEC to convene this crucial 103rd NEC meeting.
“We have also duly notified INEC as required by law,” the BoT chairman stated.
He urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to respect the judgment of the Supreme Court and update its portal with the elected officers of the Interim National Working Committee.
Wabara also advised members of the interim committee to recognise that their task was enormous, noting that millions of PDP members and supporters would be looking to them for direction.
“You must be ready to make sacrifices, foster genuine reconciliation and unity to rebuild our party and set it back to its winning ways.
“Your decisions and activities must be firm, guided by the principles of internal democracy, justice, fairness, and transparency.
“We must bear in mind that the PDP is bigger than any individual or group,” he said.
Wabara assured them of the support of all other party organs as they lead the PDP toward victory.
On his part, Gov. Makinde stated that the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led NWC has no right to be at the PDP National Secretariat.
Makinde noted that while the party was going through its darkest moment, it possessed the capacity to overcome, saying “the day is about to break”.
“Do we have challenges ahead of us? Do we have the capacity to take on those challenges and rise above them?
“Absolutely, I do not have any doubt that we have that capacity,” Makinde said.
Advising party members not to be discouraged, the governor pledged his total support for the interim NWC, likening the current political situation to a “bird that has learned to fly without perching,” necessitating that the “hunter also learned to shoot without missing”.
In his acceptance, Turaki pledged that his team was equal to the new task and accepted the challenge wholeheartedly.
Turaki said the interim committee would work hard not only for the PDP to be on the ballot but to win all upcoming off-season elections and the 2027 general elections.
“I want to assure you that PDP shall field candidates for all elective offices. We will come up with a presidential candidate who will not only contest the 2027 election, but will win it for us and win it for Nigeria,” he said.
Turaki also encouraged PDP members to remain steadfast, resilient, and hopeful.
“It’s not going to be easy, but certainly, it is not impossible. PDP had done it before, PDP had repeated it again, and PDP will do it this time around,” Turaki said.
Other members of the interim NWC are Hamza Koshe, Dr. Daniel Woyengikuro, Ihediwa Richard, Isa Abubakar, Okechukwu Daniel, Theophilus Dakas Shan, Ini Ememobong, Aribisala Idowu, Bara’u Shafi’i, Ogbu Chinenyenwa, and Umar Aji.
Speaking with newsmen after the meeting, Makinde described the move as a battle for democracy and plurality in Nigeria’s democratic space.
He insisted that the interim NWC was legally constituted, noting that two-thirds of NEC members were in attendance.
“This NEC meeting has two-thirds of NEC members in attendance. If you go to the PDP Constitution, you know who your NEC members are, and two-thirds of those members came here. So it is legally constituted,” he said.
The governor added that the NEC would write to INEC regarding the interim committee, expressing hope that the commission would allow the legally constituted authority of the party to do its job. (NAN)
