By Peter Omopo
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said that the appeal filed by a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Kabiru Turaki will not prevent the party’s planned national convention.
The Turaki-led faction had approached the Supreme Court of Nigeria seeking to restrain the group aligned with Wike from holding its convention scheduled for March 29 and 30.
The development follows a leadership dispute within the party. In November 2025, a PDP national convention backed by Seyi Makinde and Bala Mohammed was held in Ibadan, where national officers were elected with Turaki emerging as chairman.
However, on March 9, the Court of Appeal Nigeria nullified the convention, ruling that it violated guidelines set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Following the judgment, the Wike-led faction began preparations for a fresh convention.
Speaking after inspecting the convention venue in Abuja, Wike maintained that the planned exercise would proceed as scheduled, despite the pending appeal.
He acknowledged the existence of disagreements within the party but noted that such differences are inevitable in a large political organisation. According to him, efforts are ongoing to engage aggrieved members and address their concerns in the overall interest of the party.
Wike also disclosed that party positions have been zoned to ensure balance, with the presidency allocated to the southern region and the chairmanship to the north, expressing confidence that the arrangement would ease the process.
He added that while reconciliation efforts would continue, the convention would go ahead as planned.
Meanwhile, Turaki had earlier indicated that his faction had begun moves toward reconciliation with the Wike group to enable the party present candidates for all elective positions in the 2027 general elections.
