INEC Meets Political Parties Amid PDP Leadership Crisis, Preparations for FCT Elections

Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission held a consultative meeting with leaders of political parties in Abuja on Thursday, focusing on preparations for upcoming elections and measures to strengthen internal party democracy, even as a deepening leadership crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party continues to cast a shadow over the opposition’s structure.

The meeting, chaired by INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan, was attended by representatives of several political parties, including a faction of the PDP led by Abdulrahman Mohammed and backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. However, the Kabiru Turaki-led National Working Committee of the party was conspicuously absent, highlighting the ongoing division within what remains Nigeria’s main opposition party.

Discussions at the session centred on preparations for the February 21 FCT area council elections, the revalidation of the voter register, concerns over declining voter turnout, and strategies to improve internal party democracy ahead of the 2027 general elections. The commission has repeatedly expressed concern over low voter participation in off-cycle elections, a trend that has persisted despite efforts to expand voter registration and improve accessibility.

The absence of the Turaki-led faction underscores the intensity of the leadership crisis that has split the PDP into two rival camps, each claiming legitimacy and recognition by INEC. The dispute has its roots in a controversial national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15, 2025, which produced Turaki, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, as national chairman.

Last month, a Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan nullified the convention, dealing a significant blow to Turaki’s claim to leadership. In a ruling delivered on Friday, Justice Uche Agomoh declined the Turaki-led NWC’s request for an order compelling INEC to recognise the convention, describing the exercise as having been conducted in “flagrant disobedience of subsisting court orders.”

Justice Agomoh barred the Turaki-led leadership from parading itself as the party’s national executives and ruled that the PDP could only operate through a caretaker committee until a lawful national convention is convened. The judge held that the party could not violate court directives and subsequently seek judicial validation for actions taken in defiance of those orders.

“The PDP cannot violate court orders and then come to court to seek validation for those violations,” Justice Agomoh was quoted as saying in the ruling.

Turaki, however, has rejected the judgement, arguing that the court granted reliefs that were neither sought nor canvassed by any of the parties before it. He disclosed that the party had filed a notice of appeal and a motion for a stay of execution, insisting that the convention remains “legally intact, firmly in place, and fully committed to the ongoing rebirth” of the PDP.

The disputed convention was backed by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, both influential figures within the party. It followed a series of conflicting court rulings that further deepened the confusion surrounding the PDP’s leadership structure. While some Federal High Courts in Abuja had issued orders halting the convention over alleged breaches of the PDP constitution and electoral laws, the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan cleared the party to proceed and directed INEC to monitor the exercise.

The contradictory judicial pronouncements reflect a broader pattern of legal uncertainty that has plagued Nigeria’s political parties in recent years, with rival factions often shopping for favourable court orders to legitimise their claims. Legal experts have repeatedly called for judicial reforms to address the phenomenon of conflicting rulings, which they argue undermines the rule of law and erodes public confidence in the judiciary.

At the Ibadan convention, Wike and several of his allies were formally expelled from the PDP, a move that was widely seen as an attempt by the Turaki faction to consolidate control and punish the FCT minister for his perceived role in destabilising the party. Wike, a former Rivers State governor, had openly supported President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress during the 2023 general elections despite being a PDP member, a decision that drew widespread condemnation from party loyalists.

Following their expulsion, Wike and his supporters formed a parallel National Working Committee, Board of Trustees, and National Executive Committee, effectively creating two rival structures within the PDP. The Wike-backed faction has argued that the Ibadan convention was illegal and that the Turaki-led NWC lacks legitimacy.

In December 2025, INEC rejected a request to recognise the Turaki-led NWC, citing multiple subsisting court judgements as the basis for its decision. The commission’s position has emboldened the Wike faction, which was represented at Thursday’s meeting by Abdulrahman Mohammed.

INEC’s refusal to recognise either faction has left the PDP in a state of limbo, raising serious questions about the party’s ability to function effectively in the lead-up to the 2027 elections. The commission is statutorily required to deal with duly recognised party executives, and until the leadership dispute is resolved, the PDP risks being excluded from critical pre-election processes, including the nomination of candidates and access to public campaign funds.

The PDP’s crisis is not unprecedented in Nigeria’s political history. Similar leadership disputes have previously paralysed major parties, including the Action Congress of Nigeria in 2011 and the APC in 2018, when rival factions emerged following contentious national conventions. In most cases, INEC’s recognition of one faction over another was determined by court rulings, though the process was often protracted and marred by accusations of judicial manipulation.

The current crisis comes at a particularly challenging time for the PDP, which has struggled to recover from its defeat in the 2023 presidential election. The party, which governed Nigeria from 1999 to 2015, lost the presidency to the APC for the second consecutive time, and has since been weakened by internal divisions, defections, and a lack of clear ideological direction.

Between 1999 and 2015, the PDP controlled the federal government and a majority of state governments, earning a reputation as Nigeria’s dominant party. However, its defeat in 2015 marked a turning point in the country’s political landscape, with the APC emerging as the new ruling party. The PDP’s inability to reclaim power in 2019 and 2023 has been attributed to a combination of factors, including internal conflicts, poor candidate selection, and a failure to present a compelling alternative vision to voters.

The party’s leadership crisis has also raised broader concerns about internal democracy within Nigerian political parties. INEC has repeatedly lamented the failure of parties to conduct transparent and credible primaries, a situation that has often resulted in imposition of candidates, legal disputes, and voter apathy.

At Thursday’s meeting, INEC officials reportedly emphasised the need for political parties to adhere to their own constitutions and ensure transparent processes in the selection of leaders and candidates. The commission also discussed the revalidation of the voter register, a process aimed at updating the register with new voters and removing the names of deceased or ineligible registrants.

The February 21 FCT area council elections will serve as a test of INEC’s preparedness for the 2027 general elections. The commission has faced criticism in recent years over logistical failures, late deployment of personnel and materials, and the malfunctioning of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System during the 2023 polls. Civil society groups have called for comprehensive reforms to address these challenges and restore public confidence in the electoral process.

Voter turnout has also emerged as a major concern. Data from INEC shows that turnout has declined steadily in recent elections, dropping from over 50 percent in 1999 to less than 30 percent in the 2023 presidential election. Analysts attribute the decline to a combination of factors, including voter apathy, insecurity, logistical challenges, and a growing perception that elections do not produce credible outcomes.

The commission has launched several initiatives to address the problem, including voter education campaigns, the expansion of polling units, and the introduction of technology to improve the accreditation and voting process. However, stakeholders have argued that these measures will have limited impact unless broader structural issues, including the credibility of the electoral process and the independence of INEC, are addressed.