PDP Rift Widens as Wike Issues Public Dare
FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has thrown down an extraordinary public challenge to rival groups within the Peoples Democratic Party, daring them to open an official party bank account and run a formal secretariat if they truly believe they are the authentic leadership of the party.
Speaking during a live media session in Abuja on Wednesday, the former Rivers State governor said the faction opposing the recognised leadership, led by Abdulrahman Mohammed and Senator Samuel Anyanwu, has no legal authority to manage party affairs and is misleading the public about who actually controls the PDP.
“You cannot continue to deceive Nigerians. If they are sure they are the authentic leadership of the PDP, let them open an official PDP account and tell party members to pay nomination fees into it,” Wike said.
The minister singled out Tanimu Turaki, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and others in the rival camp for the challenge. “Let Turaki, as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, open an account for the PDP. Let them announce it publicly for members who want to contest elections. That day, you will see what will happen,” he stated.
Wike questioned how any financial institution could legitimately open an account for a political party without verified documentation and court-recognised leadership, insisting the process would expose the weakness of their claim. “That bank will be in trouble because to open such an account, you must provide the party’s authentic documents and recognised leadership. Who has those documents?” he queried.
The confrontation follows the rejection by the Wike-backed PDP of what it described as an unauthorised National Executive Committee meeting convened by the rival camp aligned with Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde on Monday. That meeting produced a 13-member caretaker committee headed by Turaki, with Taofeek Arapaja named as National Secretary. The Wike faction, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, described the resolutions as “null, void, and of no effect.” It further argued that the organisers failed to comply with the Electoral Act 2026, which requires a minimum of 21 days’ notice to the Independent National Electoral Commission for such gatherings.
The dispute over legitimacy escalated following the Supreme Court’s April 30 ruling. In a split decision of three justices to two, the apex court nullified the PDP national convention held in Ibadan on November 15 and 16, 2025, which had produced the Turaki-led National Working Committee. Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Stephen Adah faulted the Turaki-led faction for proceeding with the convention in defiance of subsisting court orders restraining it. The judgment, however, made no pronouncement on the suspension or expulsion of any party official.
The Wike-backed faction insists the ruling validated its position and that Abdulrahman Mohammed and Senator Samuel Anyanwu remain the recognised party officials. Rival interpretations of the judgment have deepened the crisis within Nigeria’s main opposition party, with the Turaki-led group maintaining that the ruling effectively nullified both conventions, and the Board of Trustees under Adolphus Wabara briefly claiming an interim takeover, a move the Wike camp has dismissed as unconstitutional.
Wike further warned that any attempt to set up parallel PDP offices in Abuja would not be tolerated. “If anybody goes ahead to open an illegal office in the name of the PDP in Abuja, I will seal it. I will not allow any breach of peace because my duty is to maintain law and order in the Federal Capital Territory,” he said.
The minister insisted he remains a loyal member of the PDP and that his actions are aimed at defending lawful processes and respecting court decisions.