Nigeria’s opposition politics plunged deeper into turmoil this week as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) refused to recognise the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), citing subsisting court judgements and unresolved legal disputes over the party’s authentic leadership. The decision has ignited a fierce debate over the state of Nigeria’s democratic institutions and whether the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is engineering the collapse of viable opposition parties ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
In a letter dated 22 December and signed by INEC Secretary Dr Rose Oriaran-Anthony, the electoral commission stated it could not recognise or upload on its website the list of national officers elected at the PDP’s November convention in Ibadan, Oyo State. The commission cited two final judgements of the Federal High Court in Abuja as binding authority preventing it from taking any action that might validate the convention’s outcome.
The decision deepens an already fractious internal crisis within Nigeria’s main opposition party, which has been effectively split into two competing power centres since November, when the Ibadan convention produced Turaki and his slate of officers. The convention was attended by pro-democracy advocates, governors including Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, and party officials who insisted they had complied fully with constitutional procedures.
The PDP’s leadership crisis emerged from a confusing legal landscape. Before the Ibadan convention, some Federal High Court judges in Abuja issued rulings restraining the party from holding the event, alleging breaches of the party’s constitution. However, the Oyo State High Court cleared the way for the convention to proceed, directing INEC to monitor it. This created a situation in which the same electoral process was both restrained and authorised by different courts simultaneously.
Following the convention, Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), alongside Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Mohammed Abdulrahman, insisted they still held the positions of Acting National Chairman and National Secretary. Wike’s faction rejected the legitimacy of the Ibadan convention and claimed to represent the authentic leadership of the party. No adequate explanation has been offered for how leaders who were not elected at the convention claimed authority to govern the party.
Civil rights organisation, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), responded with sharp criticism. The group’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, accused INEC of allowing itself to be weaponised by the Tinubu presidency, the APC, and Wike to demolish political opposition ahead of the 2027 general election.
“The leadership of INEC has connived with President Tinubu, the APC and the Minister of FCT in carrying out a well orchestrated campaign of demolition and destruction of the PDP,” HURIWA stated. The organisation pointed out what it considered a glaring inconsistency: the same INEC that monitored and observed the Ibadan convention was now questioning its legitimacy.
The rights group called for an investigation into allegations by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde that Wike was executing a plot to destroy the PDP, thereby clearing the path for President Tinubu to secure an uncontested presidency in 2027. HURIWA warned that “should President Tinubu and his acolytes succeed in killing off the PDP, then constitutional democracy may die before the 2027 general poll.”
Onwubiko accused INEC of allowing itself to be used as a political tool to suppress opposition voices. The group cautioned President Bola Tinubu to halt what it termed an active agenda to cripple constructive and independent opposition parties in the country.
The Turaki-led NWC rejected INEC’s position as inconsistent and legally unfounded. Through its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the faction argued that the judgements INEC relied upon had been appealed, with applications for stays of execution already filed. “The Court of Appeal is expected to hear and determine the matters soon,” Ememobong said.
The faction pointed out that “while INEC claims to be neutral and is awaiting judgment on the matter, we hope that they are guided by the judgments of the Supreme Court, especially in the SDP case, being the latest delivered last week, barring INEC from interfering in the internal leadership affairs of political parties.”
Ememobong highlighted what he characterised as HURIWA’s concerns about INEC’s conduct, noting that the commission had monitored primaries conducted by the Turaki-led NWC in Ekiti and Osun states, with official communications emanating from his faction. This suggested recognition that was now being withdrawn, he argued.
In a contrasting assessment, Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule dismissed widespread concerns that Nigeria is drifting toward a one-party state due to recent defections to the APC. Speaking with journalists at the weekend, Sule recalled that the PDP “once controlled about 29 states while it held power at the centre, yet Nigeria did not descend into a one-party system.”
The Nasarawa governor noted that five opposition governors Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta, Douye Diri of Bayelsa, Peter Mbah of Enugu, Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, and Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau have defected to the APC in recent times, while Taraba State Governor Kefas Agbu is expected to formally defect in January 2026.
Sule argued that “a one-party system is incompatible with democratic ideals and no political party, including the APC, has an interest in undermining Nigeria’s multi-party democracy.” He stressed that historical precedent shows political dominance does not translate into the collapse of opposition parties, citing the PDP’s experience during its period of ascendancy.
As opposition figures discuss alliances ahead of 2027, Prince Adewole Adebayo, presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2023 election, disclosed strict conditions for any future political coalition. Speaking at his home in Ondo City, Adebayo explained that the party “would not align with individuals, questionable characters, or politicians whose records and motivations contradict the party’s values.”
Adebayo stressed that “opposition to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu alone is not enough justification for forming a coalition,” warning that Nigerians must ensure that individuals “worse than the government” are not smuggled into power under the pretence of opposition unity.
The SDP leader disclosed that he had personally interviewed and screened potential coalition partners, and had turned away many aspirants deemed unfit, stating: “We told many of them to go away. You can’t say you want to rescue Nigeria when you’re a fraud.”
Adebayo singled out politicians facing corruption charges and allegations, noting that “some people are doing coalition after leaving the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) custody on bail,” arguing that “criminality and opportunism have no place in genuine reform politics.”
The simultaneous crises INEC’s rejection of the Turaki-led PDP, HURIWA’s accusations of institutional manipulation, and intense discussions about coalition viability underscore deepening tensions within Nigeria’s opposition landscape. The immediate impact falls most heavily on the PDP, which faces the prospect of being deadlocked in internal legal disputes precisely when it should be preparing for a presidential challenge.
Observers note that while defections to the ruling APC have strengthened the party numerically in the National Assembly, the integrity of Nigeria’s democratic competition depends on whether viable opposition alternatives emerge capable of offering genuine policy choices and leadership options to voters.
The resolution of the PDP’s leadership crisis now rests with the Court of Appeal, which is expected to rule on the appeals filed against the Federal High Court judgements. Until then, INEC’s stance ensures that the party operates under a legal cloud, unable to formally present a unified platform to the electorate or conduct crucial internal procedures with full institutional recognition.