Turaki Camp Dismisses PDP Convention as Illegal
A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) loyal to former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki, has rejected the party’s recent national convention, describing the exercise as illegitimate and in contempt of pending court proceedings.
In a statement issued on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the faction dismissed the convention organised by a rival group loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as a “pre-Easter jamboree” allegedly backed by external interests. The group insisted that the gathering violated a subsisting legal process before the Court of Appeal.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we state that the pre-Easter jamboree of APC sympathisers and members of ‘Wike’s Autocratic Party’, which they mischievously tagged a PDP convention, was held in contempt of the Court of Appeal,” the statement read.
According to the faction, the validity of the convention is already a subject of litigation, adding that legal processes challenging the exercise had been duly filed and served. The group said it has now approached the Supreme Court to resolve the leadership dispute, expressing confidence that the apex court would provide clarity on the matter.
“We reassure that we have taken this battle to the Supreme Court for the determination of all the issues relating to the leadership of our party… we are hopeful that sooner, rather than later, the apex court will… adjudicate on this matter,” the faction said.
The group also faulted a recent ruling by a Federal High Court which reportedly granted access to the national secretariat to the rival Wike-backed leadership. It described the judgment as unacceptable and said it would be challenged.
“We have directed our lawyers to immediately file an appeal and other relevant applications against this judgment,” the statement noted.
Amid the deepening internal crisis, the faction alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was behind the turmoil within the opposition party. It claimed that the crises were being orchestrated to create a one-party state.
“These crises are clearly orchestrated by the Bola Tinubu-led APC government… determined to foist a one-party state on the country,” the faction said.
The group urged party members to remain hopeful, stating that the Supreme Court would ultimately rescue multi-party democracy. The PDP has been grappling with sharp internal divisions since the 2023 elections, with rival factions laying claim to the party’s leadership and structure. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recently recognised the Wike-backed leadership, further complicating the crisis.