The faction of the Peoples Democratic Party National Working Committee aligned with Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, has inaugurated a new 19-member caretaker leadership for the party in Lagos State, deepening the internal split within the PDP.
The ceremony took place in Ikeja on Wednesday, December 24, following an earlier announcement by the Wike-backed NWC dissolving state executives in several states, including Lagos.
The faction is led nationally by Alhaji Abdulraman Mohammed as National Chairman and Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary.
Representing the factional chairman at the event, Deputy National Secretary, Adedeji Doherty, accused some PDP leaders of trampling on the party’s constitution and contributing to its crisis.
He singled out Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and PDP stalwart Chief Olabode George, among others, as part of the problem.
“We are issuing red cards to those hell-bent on destroying the PDP. The PDP is very important to us. Today marks a new chapter in the evolution of democracy and the party,” he said.
Doherty dismissed the Ibadan national convention that produced the Tanimu Turaki-led NWC as illegitimate.
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“As far as we are concerned, and as far as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is concerned, the Ibadan National Convention that produced the Tanimu Turaki-led PDP National Working Committee should not have taken place,” he said, describing the exercise as a “kangaroo” process that did not meet democratic standards. He maintained that Mohammed “remains the authentic National Chairman” of the PDP.
He charged the new Lagos caretaker committee to strictly follow the party’s constitution and to focus on rebuilding, saying: “PDP in Lagos State is going to witness a serious turnaround… Rebuilding the party at this period is more important to us than who becomes president in 2027.”
On 2027, Doherty said there would be nothing wrong if the PDP informally backs President Bola Tinubu of the APC to complete a second term for the South, noting: “I believe in Wike’s decision to support President Bola Tinubu in 2027. It is his prerogative… It is going to be a herculean task” to dislodge him.
Kayode Ogunbiyi was sworn in as chairman of the caretaker committee, with Jamiu Awofala as secretary.
Ogunbiyi said the team has six weeks to stabilise the party and prepare for congresses, pledging discipline, zero tolerance for thuggery and social media “rascality”, and strict adherence to the PDP and Nigerian constitutions.
He appealed to aggrieved members and those who recently left the PDP in Lagos to return, saying the committee will prioritise women and youth inclusion and will begin congresses from January 9, 2026, across wards, local governments, the state and the South-West zone.