Mohammed, Anyanwu emerges as president and secretary of Wike-backed PDP – THISAGE

By Da Victor Osula, Abuja

A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), aligned with the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, conducted its 2026 National Convention at the Moshood Abiola Stadium velodrome on Sunday evening.

All candidates for the positions of national officers, including Abdulrahman Mohammed and Samuel Anyanwu, emerged through consensual agreement.

The move, which produced 21 members of the National Working Committee (NWC), comes against a backdrop of persistent internal divisions in the PDP and a Court of Appeal ruling casting doubt on the status of some key figures.

Abdulrahman Mohammed, former chairman of the National Caretaker Working Committee (NCWC), has been announced as national chairman for a four-year term, with party leaders describing the consensus process as a step towards stabilizing the faction.

It would be recalled that some of the individuals listed in the newly announced leadership, including Samuel Anyanwu and Kamaldeen Ajibade, remain suspended following a court-backed disciplinary process within the party.

The Court of Appeal, in a ruling delivered on March 9, upheld the suspension of key PDP national officials, including former national legal advisor Kamaldeen Ajibade, former national secretary Samuel Anyanwu, deputy legal advisor Okechukwu Osuoha and national organizing secretary Umaru Bature.

A three-member appeals panel upheld earlier decisions of the PDP National Working Committee, which had suspended the affected officials on November 1, 2025, over allegations of anti-party activity and conduct inconsistent with the party’s constitution.

The court validated the disciplinary processes, underlining the supremacy of the party constitution in internal affairs and rejecting all prayers seeking to overturn the suspensions.

The PDP has been entangled in a prolonged leadership crisis that has led to the emergence of two factions. While a faction linked to governors Seyin Makinde and Bala Mohammed, associated with Tanimu Turaki’s NWC, claims one side of the leadership structure, the Wike-backed group controls the NCWC bloc led by Mohammed.

The crisis worsened after the Ibadan convention in November 2025, which triggered a series of legal battles. The March 9 Court of Appeal ruling in Abuja also upheld a Federal High Court decision barring the PDP from proceeding with the Ibadan convention.

Addressing delegates at the convention, Wike, identified at the meeting as the party leader, said “healing in the PDP has begun”, assuring members that the party will participate in the 2027 general elections.

“So many people have spoken here… asking, ‘Will the PDP contest the 2027 elections?’ I told Senator Bukola Saraki that by the grace of God, PDP will be on the ballot in 2027,” he said.

“We have seen the real convention, the convention that is monitored by the election umpire. This is the convention that is recognized,” Wike added, drawing applause from the delegates.

He stressed that the party’s future must be built on inclusion and equal opportunities, praising the delegates for their resilience.

“You stood firm when the storm raged… you refused to give up when those pretending to be party leaders betrayed you,” he said, adding that the party would recover its mandate.

In his acceptance remarks, Mohammed promised inclusive leadership, urging members to embrace unity as the party repositions itself for 2027.

“Today we choose a higher path. We choose inclusion over exclusion, unity over division; we choose renewal over decline,” he said, noting that the convention marked a moment of restoration rather than a simple election of officials.

“The PDP did not come here to mourn itself; the PDP came here to renew itself,” he added, acknowledging that the party has gone through a difficult period of disagreement and legal contestation.

Earlier, the chairman of the congress planning committee, Okezie Ikpeazu, said about 2,035 delegates were present at the congress and assured that the door for reconciliation within the party would remain open.

Prominent party members who attended the convention were former Jigawa State governor Sule Lamido; a former Senate President, Bukola Saraki; and former governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi, among others

Observers say that while the convention highlights the organizational strength of the Wike-backed faction, the shadow of legal disputes and unresolved suspensions continues to raise questions about the legitimacy and path to unity within the PDP.

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