National Convention: PDP Draws Battle Line With Wike’s Camp
Tension is building in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of its November National Convention in Ibadan, as a fierce battle brews between the party’s leadership and the camp loyal to Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike.
On Monday night, Wike and four other former governors — Samuel Ortom, Ayo Fayose, Okezie Ikpeazu, and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, issued a six-point demand to the party’s National Working Committee (NWC). They warned that unless their conditions were met, the planned convention would be invalid.
Their demands include fresh congresses in Ebonyi and Anambra, a new South-East zonal congress, and respect for court-backed outcomes in South-South congresses. They also opposed micro-zoning beyond the NEC formula and insisted that the national chairmanship remain in the North Central.
But PDP leaders pushed back hard.
At the inauguration of the Convention Organising Committee in Abuja, PDP National Chairman Umar Damagum, Bauchi Governor Bala Mohammed, Adamawa Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, and former Kaduna Governor Ahmed Makarfi (representing Board of Trustees Chair Adolphus Wabara) vowed the party would not be hijacked.
“We are not cowards, and we are not afraid of anybody,” Mohammed said bluntly. “We will not allow this party to be dragged to the slaughterhouse. Enough is enough.”
Damagum echoed the defiance, insisting the PDP is “marching forward stronger, more determined, and better prepared to reclaim the presidency.” He accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of backing “internal saboteurs” to destabilize the opposition.
Makarfi warned that while all voices matter, “the majority will not be held hostage by a few,” stressing that conventions are about consensus, not unanimity.
Convention Committee Chairman Fintiri also struck a firm tone: “Nobody will derail this process. Buy the forms, contest, and test your popularity. That is how democracy works.”
Still, Wike’s bloc insists the party must return to fairness and inclusivity. In a communiqué signed by Ortom, they cautioned that ignoring court rulings or sidelining members would deepen PDP’s divisions.
“The PDP is at a defining crossroads,” the statement read. “Unity cannot be built on disenfranchisement, exclusion, or neglect of judicial pronouncements.”
With both camps digging in, the stage is set for a dramatic showdown as the PDP prepares for a convention that could shape not just its internal leadership but also its strength as Nigeria’s main opposition party.