Tag: PDP

Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Mohammed Umar ruled that several deadlines fixed by INEC for the conduct of party primaries, submission of candidates’ particulars, withdrawal and substitution of candidates, as well as campaign timelines, were inconsistent with provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.

In a dramatic turn on Thursday, the apex court invalidated the November 15–16, 2025 convention held in Ibadan, which produced the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC). The ruling also upheld the suspension of key party officials, including Samuel Anyanwu, Umar Bature and Kamaldeen Ajibade. 

Opposition political parties in Nigeria on Saturday resolved to form a united front ahead of the 2027 general elections, including plans to field a single presidential candidate, as they accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of undermining democracy. The resolution, contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a national summit in Ibadan, warned against what participants described as attempts by the APC to impose a one-party state on the country. The parties pledged to “resist all machinations” that could threaten Nigeria’s multi-party system.

The PDP chairman noted that the Ibadan ruling was only one of several judgments of the Federal High Court on the matter and that the core issues were already before the Court of Appeal. He described the decision as “technically academic” pending an authoritative pronouncement by the appellate court. Turaki reassured party members that the National Working Committee produced by the Ibadan Convention remained “legally intact and firmly in place,” and committed to what he described as the party’s ongoing rebirth.

While the Supreme Court’s earlier intervention briefly revived Anyanwu’s standing, Tuesday’s dismissal signals that legal victories alone may no longer be enough to secure long-term control. The struggle within the PDP is increasingly shifting from courtrooms to internal political negotiations, and in that arena, the momentum appears to be slipping away from the Wike camp.

According to the PDP, regardless of whether the party is the plaintiff or defendant, its cases have routinely been assigned to Justices James Omotosho, Peter Odo Lifu, and Abdulmalik. The party’s newly elected National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Committee (NEC) have repeatedly voiced concerns, claiming the trend fosters a perception of “courts of particular concern” for PDP-related matters. 

Supportive media coverage can inadvertently validate disparaging remarks or aggressive criticism directed at political adversaries. When platforms, particularly those in bed with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), provide extensive airtime to statements that undermine opposition party unity or target specific individuals, the result may be an erosion of internal cohesion. In the case of the PDP, frequent media reporting on internal disagreements—particularly those involving high-profile figures like Wike -- can contribute to perceptions of division and crisis, regardless of the underlying realities. 

In three separate letters read by the Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, who presided over the session, the three defecting senators stated their reasons for leaving the PDP, citing security concerns, aligning with the ruling party’s agenda, and ideological differences. 

Speaking on Friday after leading a delegation of the three PDP senators from Kebbi state to meet with President Bola Tinubu, Ganduje, using China as an example, argued that the defection of opposition politicians to the ruling APC won't turn Nigeria into a one-party state. He pointed out China as an example of a functional one-party system.

The NEC meeting, is expected to discuss important issues such as zoning arrangements for national offices ahead of the National Convention and strategies to address other challenges facing the party. 

In 2013, when Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso defected from the PDP to the APC, many of us justified his...