A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aligned with the ousted leadership on Monday announced the appointment of Tanimu Turaki as interim national chairman and Toafeek Arapaja as interim national secretary, to oversee the affairs of the party pending the conduct of a full elective national convention.
The announcement was made at a factional National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, attended by key party stakeholders, including Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and several founding members of the PDP.
The meeting was convened by the faction’s Board of Trustees, which claimed it had the backing of two-thirds of NEC members. It also nullified the Ibadan convention that produced the former National Working Committee (NWC), stating that all decisions from that process had been voided.
At the opening of the session, Chief Esther Uduehi, a PDP founding member from Delta State, moved a motion for Senator Adolphus Wabara, Chairman of the BoT, to serve as pro-tem chairman of the 103rd NEC meeting. The motion was seconded by Fred Agbedi, leader of the PDP caucus in the House of Representatives.
Prominent attendees included Senator Adolphus Wabara, Professor Jerry Gana, former Niger State Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, former Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang, former Minister of Women Affairs Hajiya Inna Ciroma, former PDP Women Leader Hajiya Zainab Maina, and former Osun State Governor Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, among others.
In his acceptance remarks, Turaki pledged that the party would present candidates for all elective positions in the 2027 general elections.
Governor Makinde, speaking at the event, described the gathering as a show of encouragement from party elders and founding fathers, while also commenting on the occupation of party offices by supporters at Wadata Plaza and the Legacy House, which he said was inappropriate.
Meanwhile, the faction aligned with the National Working Committee loyal to Nyesom Wike dismissed the interim leadership arrangement, describing it as illegal. It also criticized the move as inconsistent, noting that those who previously opposed the idea of a caretaker structure were now attempting to adopt a similar arrangement.
In a related development, Governor Makinde also faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over what he described as a premature update of its website recognizing a leadership change in another political party, arguing that it occurred before the Supreme Court judgment was formally certified.
“I saw on social media yesterday that somebody went to collect the form supposedly to run as the presidential candidate of this party. Buy they’re wearing Asiwaju’s cap, how do we reconcile that?
“But let me place it on record that when the day is about to break, that is usually the darkest moment. Yes, we as a party, we’re going through our darkest moment right now, because the day is about to break for a new order in our country.
