Mohammed, Anyanwu Emerge as Chairman, Secretary of Wike-Backed PDP Amid Internal Rift

March 30, 2026 | PressNGR – A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Sunday night held its 2026 National Convention at the velodrome of Moshood Abiola Stadium.
All candidates for national offices, including Abdulrahman Mohammed and Samuel Anyanwu, were elected through a consensus arrangement, producing 21 members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC). The exercise comes amid lingering divisions within the PDP and a subsisting Court of Appeal judgment questioning the standing of some top officials.
Abdulrahman Mohammed, former Chairman of the National Caretaker Working Committee (NCWC), was declared National Chairman for a four-year tenure. Party leaders described the consensus process as a step toward stabilizing the faction. However, some members of the newly announced leadership, including Samuel Anyanwu and Kamaldeen Ajibade, remain under suspension following court-backed disciplinary actions.
The Court of Appeal, in a judgment delivered on March 9, upheld suspensions of key PDP officers, including former National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade, former National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, Deputy Legal Adviser Okechukwu Osuoha, and National Organising Secretary Umaru Bature. The appellate panel affirmed the PDP NWC’s earlier decisions from November 1, 2025, citing anti-party activities and breaches of the party’s constitution.
The PDP remains embroiled in a leadership crisis with two rival factions: one linked to Governors Seyi Makinde and Bala Mohammed, associated with Tanimu Turaki’s NWC, and the other backed by Wike, controlling the Mohammed-led NCWC bloc. The crisis intensified following the November 2025 Ibadan convention, which triggered legal battles. The March 9 Appeal Court ruling also restrained the party from proceeding with that Ibadan convention.
Addressing delegates, Wike hailed the convention as a step toward reconciliation. “The healing in the PDP has begun. By the grace of God, the PDP will be on the ballot in 2027,” he said, emphasizing inclusiveness and the need for unity. He described the gathering as “the real convention, monitored by the electoral umpire,” prompting cheers from attendees.
In his acceptance speech, Mohammed vowed to lead inclusively, urging members to prioritize unity and renewal. “Today, we choose inclusiveness over exclusion, unity over division, and renewal over decline. The PDP has come here not to mourn itself, but to renew itself,” he said.
The Chairman of the Convention Planning Committee, Okezie Ikpeazu, confirmed that approximately 2,035 delegates attended and stressed that reconciliation within the party would remain a priority. Prominent attendees included former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, ex-Senate President Bukola Saraki, and former Kaduna State Governor Ahmed Makarfi.
Observers note that while the convention demonstrates the organisational strength of the Wike-backed faction, unresolved legal disputes and suspensions continue to cast uncertainty over the legitimacy and future unity of the PDP.