By Emmanuel Oloniruha
Abuja, Dec. 18, 2025 – In a dramatic escalation of the internal war plaguing Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction aligned with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has taken a sweeping and aggressive step. This faction, operating as a self-styled ‘National Working Caretaker Committee,’ has announced the dissolution of the party’s State Working Committees (SWCs) in 14 states across the nation.
The move, announced via a communiqué after a meeting in Abuja on Thursday, is far more than routine administrative reshuffling. It represents a direct challenge to the party’s established national leadership and is a critical maneuver in the ongoing battle for control of the PDP’s structure, finances, and, ultimately, its soul ahead of the 2027 general elections. The acting Publicity Secretary for the faction, Haruna Jungun, read the decisive communiqué.
The Affected States and the Strategic Implications
The 14 states where executives were dissolved are: Borno, Bauchi, Oyo, Zamfara, Yobe, Ekiti, Bayelsa, Enugu, Ebonyi, Anambra, Delta, Taraba, Kano, and Lagos. A closer look at this list reveals a strategic calculus. It includes states in the PDP’s traditional strongholds in the South-South and South-East (Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Ebonyi, Anambra), key battleground states in the North (Bauchi, Taraba, Kano), and states where the party has been striving for relevance (Lagos, Borno, Yobe). This nationwide purge suggests the Wike faction is attempting to dismantle parallel structures loyal to the PDP’s mainstream leadership led by figures like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and install its own loyalists to control the party’s grassroots machinery.
Consolidating Control: Appointments and a Timetable
To fill the vacuum and solidify its authority, the faction immediately assigned key national portfolios. Notable appointments include Prof. Adenike Ogunse as Women Leader, Deji Doherty as Deputy National Secretary, and Sen. Olaka Ogunwu as Treasurer. Haruna Jungun was confirmed as Publicity Secretary and Dr Ibrahim Bala-Aboki as National Youth Leader. These appointments are designed to create a functional, parallel national executive.
Most significantly, the committee approved a timetable for state congresses to begin on January 9, 2026, to be followed by a national convention. This is the core of the power play: by dissolving existing executives and scheduling new congresses, the faction aims to legally (within its own narrative) reconstitute the party’s organs from the ground up, effectively sidelining the existing leadership recognized by a majority of members.
The Heart of the Conflict: A Battle for Legitimacy
The communiqué directly addressed the elephant in the room—the fierce contest for legitimacy. Jungun vehemently rejected claims that a rival executive committee led by Taminu Turaki had been recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). “There is only one genuine and legitimate PDP, headed by Abdulrahmah Mohammed,” he declared.
He issued a pointed challenge, daring the Turaki camp to “produce the code used to upload his executives on INEC’s portal,” dismissing the recognition reports as false. This technical argument over INEC’s portal access underscores how modern electoral administration tools have become new frontiers in political warfare.
Broader Context: A Party at a Crossroads
Acting National Chairman of the faction, Abdulrahmah Mohammed, framed the actions as necessary to steer the party onto a “lawful and stable path.” However, critics view it as a continuation of the crisis that erupted after the 2023 elections, where Wike, a former PDP governor, played a pivotal role in the victory of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate. The faction’s existence highlights the deep ideological and strategic fractures within the PDP: between those seeking reconciliation and a united front, and those, like the Wike bloc, pursuing a more confrontational strategy to reshape the party’s leadership and direction.
This mass dissolution of state chapters is a high-stakes gambit. It risks further alienating party faithful, deepening divisions, and potentially inviting legal battles that could cripple the PDP’s operations. The coming weeks, leading up to the planned January congresses, will be crucial in determining whether this move consolidates a rebel faction’s power or triggers a irreversible schism in Nigeria’s once-dominant political party. The battle for the PDP is now being fought not just in courtrooms or at national conventions, but in the state secretariats across these 14 dissolved chapters.
(Report sourced from NAN. Edited by Kamal Tayo Oropo.)
