The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caretaker committee, backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dissolved the executives of 14 state chapters of the party, including Delta, Bayelsa, Enugu, Ebonyi, and announced plans to conduct fresh congresses in January 2026.
The committee reaffirmed that the leadership of Mohammed Abdulrahman as Acting National Chairman and Samuel Anyanwu as Acting National Secretary remains the only legitimate structure recognised by the party.
This position was contained in a communiqué issued after the committee’s meeting held on Thursday evening in Abuja and read by the Acting Publicity Secretary, Haruna Jungun.
The move deepens the PDP’s internal rift following the Ibadan convention endorsed by PDP governors, where Tanimu Turaki and other members of the National Working Committee were elected for four-year tenures on November 16. Despite the governors overseeing a handover from former Chairman Umar Damagum to Turaki ahead of Damagum’s tenure ending on December 9, the Wike-aligned faction proceeded on December 8 to appoint Abdulrahman, Anyanwu and others into a 60-day caretaker committee.
Within the 60-day window, the committee said all outstanding congresses would be conducted and a national convention convened. While Turaki has continued consultations with party leaders, the Abdulrahman/Anyanwu caretaker committee has also pressed ahead with parallel activities.
States affected by the dissolution include Borno, Bauchi, Oyo, Zamfara, Yobe, Ekiti, Bayelsa, Enugu, Ebonyi, Anambra, Delta, Taraba, Kano and Lagos.
The communiqué stated in part: “To tell the teeming members of our party and the general public that the PDP remains strong and indivisible. There is only one genuine and legitimate PDP, headed by Honourable Abdulrahman Mohammed.”
It warned members against actions that could bring the party into disrepute, adding: “It is important to let the public know that the claims making the rounds in the media that the Turaki illegal Excos have been accepted by INEC are false.”
The committee further challenged Turaki “to produce the code with which he uploaded his Exco to the INEC portal.” It ratified the dissolution of some state working committees, confirmed caretaker committees in affected states, and assigned portfolios to members, including Professor Adenike Ogunse (Women Leader), Engineer Deji Dohati (Deputy National Secretary), Senator Olaka Ogunwu (Treasurer/Publicity), and Ambassador Dr. Ibrahim Bala-Aboki (Youth Leader).
“Finally, the committee has approved the calendar for the conduct of state congresses starting from January 9th, 2026, after which the national convention will follow,” the communiqué added.
Earlier, Abdulrahman insisted his group was acting in line with the party’s constitution. “We have only one PDP under my leadership and my team as the caretaker committee of our great party,” he said. “The party is all about being in line with the constitution of the party and that of the Federal Republic of Nigeria… We have only one body as PDP under my leadership.”
