Abuja Convention Deepens Opposition Split as Rivals Race to Court, and Wike Insists the PDP Will Still Be on the Ballot in 2027
The Wike-aligned faction of the Peoples Democratic Party has tightened its grip on the party’s crisis-ridden structure. At its Abuja convention on Sunday, 29 March 2026, it re-elected Abdulrahman Mohammed as the substantive National Chairman. Samuel Anyanwu was also re-elected as the National Secretary.
The exercise took place at the Velodrome of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium. It was conducted by consensus. Additionally, it produced 19 other members of a new National Working Committee.
The gathering was not a low-key internal affair. It drew senior PDP figures such as former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido. Former Senate President Bukola Saraki and former Kaduna State Governor Ahmed Makarfi were also present.
This gathering is a sign that the party’s fractured establishment remains in a bitter contest over who truly controls the opposition platform.
Channels Television reported that over 2,000 delegates were involved. Ikpeazu put the expected attendance at 2,503. This shows how the faction’s own messaging has become part of the battle for legitimacy.
Nyesom Wike turned the convention into a political declaration. The Federal Capital Territory Minister addressed the delegates. He insisted that the party’s healing had begun. He promised that the PDP would contest the 2027 general election.
He said, in effect, that the party would be on the ballot in 2027. He described the Abuja outing as the recognised convention. According to him, it was monitored by the electoral umpire.
That line matters because it goes to the heart of the PDP’s legitimacy war. Wike’s camp is trying to frame the Abuja event as the lawful reset, not merely another factional gathering.
His message was simple and pointed. The party must move beyond exclusion. The current leadership must be seen as the platform’s real centre of gravity going into 2027.
Mohammed, in his acceptance remarks, pushed the same theme of reconciliation and renewal. He said the PDP had not come to mourn itself. Instead, it aimed to restore order. He insisted that the party would choose inclusiveness over exclusion. They would also choose unity over division.
He also described the convention as a moment of reflection after a period of legal contestation and internal disagreement.
Behind the speeches, however, lies a much harsher reality. The PDP is still split between the Wike-backed bloc and the Turaki-led faction. The Turaki-led faction enjoys the backing of Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.
The split widened after the controversial Ibadan convention of November 2025. This event triggered a chain of court cases. It also led to rival leadership claims.
The legal backdrop is severe. On 9 March 2026, the Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld earlier High Court rulings. These rulings invalidated the Ibadan convention. The court also barred INEC from recognising the Turaki-led leadership.
The appellate court held that proper legal conditions were not met. These include providing valid notice to INEC and holding congresses in the required number of states.
That judgment has not ended the dispute. On 27 March, the Turaki-led camp went to the Supreme Court. They sought to restrain the Wike faction from holding its own convention. Channels Television reported that the Wike camp denied receiving any court order stopping the Abuja exercise.
The result is a parallel war over who speaks for the PDP. There is also a conflict over who controls its machinery. Another issue is whose officers can front the party in 2027.
There is also a quiet but telling institutional signal. Punch reported that officials of INEC were present at the Abuja venue. This information came from Wike’s spokesman. The convention went ahead under tight accreditation and security checks.
For the Wike bloc, that presence helps sell the image of compliance. For its rivals, it is further proof that the party is descending into a war of legal optics as much as a war of structures.
The deeper story is not just that the PDP held another convention. Nigeria’s main opposition party is now operating like two rival machines. Each is claiming the constitution, the courts, and the future.
Wike’s camp is betting on organisational control and public presence. They also promise 2027 competitiveness. These factors, they hope, will outweigh the damage of the split. The Turaki side is betting on the courts. One of them may win the paper war. The real question is whether the PDP survives long enough to fight a credible national war in 2027 and beyond.
Follow us on our broadcast channels today!
- WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VawZ8TbDDmFT1a1Syg46
- Telegram: https://t.me/atlanticpostchannel
- Facebook: https://www.messenger.com/channel/atlanticpostng
