The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), under the leadership of Adolphus Wabara, has constituted a 13-member interim National Working Committee (NWC) to steer the affairs of the party following a deepening leadership crisis.
Wabara announced that the decision was in line with the party’s constitution, citing a recent Supreme Court judgment that upheld the nullification of the Ibadan National Convention, thereby creating a vacuum in the party’s leadership structure.
The newly appointed interim NWC is headed by former National Chairman, Tanimu Turaki, who is expected to oversee the party’s activities pending the resolution of the crisis and the conduct of a fresh national convention.
Among members of the interim committee is Barrister Ini Ememobong, alongside other party stakeholders whose full list is yet to be officially released.
The decision was reached during a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting convened by the Turaki-led faction at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja. The meeting was attended by key stakeholders, including Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, former Niger State Governor Babangida Muazu, former Minister of Information Jerry Gana, and former Minister of Women Affairs Zainab Maina.
The faction also declared the Abuja convention that produced the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led NWC as null and void, reinforcing its position that the party currently lacks a legitimate leadership structure.
Citing provisions of the PDP constitution, the group maintained that a caretaker committee must be constituted in the event of a leadership vacuum and urged the BoT to act accordingly—a directive the board has now carried out.
The development underscores the deepening divisions within the PDP, raising concerns about internal cohesion as the party prepares for future political contests.
By Chief Edet Isong