A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aligned with Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has announced March 28 and 29 for the election of new members of the national working committee (NWC).
The decision was taken on Monday at the faction’s national executive committee (NEC) meeting held in Abuja.
In a communiqué released after the meeting, the party praised a recent judgement of the federal high court in Ibadan, Oyo state, which nullified the November 15 national convention.
The PDP NEC said it has “absolute” confidence in the independence of the judiciary for its role in upholding the rule of law.
The party disclosed that ward and local government congresses would take place in February, while state congresses would be conducted ahead of the national convention scheduled for March in Abuja.
The Wike-backed faction also approved an extension of the tenure of the national caretaker working committee (NCWC) headed by Abdulrahman Muhammed, as well as other committees at the state and zonal levels, pending the conduct of the congresses.
“NEC called on all members of the party at all levels to remain united, disciplined, and loyal to the PDP, eschew actions capable of undermining Party cohesion, and place the collective interest of the party above personal considerations,” the communiqué stated.
“NEC reaffirmed that the PDP remains committed to rebuilding a strong, disciplined, democratic, and electorally competitive party capable of providing credible leadership and governance to Nigerians.”
In November 2025, another faction of the PDP backed by Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo state, and Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi state, held a national convention in Ibadan where new national officers were elected, with Kabiru Turaki emerging as chairman.
That convention followed a series of conflicting court rulings, including decisions by federal high courts in Abuja that halted the exercise over alleged violations of the party’s constitution and electoral laws. However, the Oyo state high court in Ibadan later cleared the PDP to proceed and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to monitor the process.
The Wike-aligned group, which opposed the Ibadan convention, subsequently set up a parallel NWC, board of trustees (BoT), and NEC.
In December, INEC declined to recognise the Turaki-led NWC, citing multiple court judgements.