Wike says appeal by Turaki-led PDP faction won’t stop national convention

Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), says the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction led by Kabiru Turaki will not stop the planned national convention.

On Friday, the Turaki camp asked the supreme court to restrain the faction backed by Wike from holding its national convention scheduled for March 29 and 30.

In November 2025, the PDP national working committee (NWC), backed by Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo, and Bala Mohammed, his Bauchi counterpart, held a national convention in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo, and elected national officers, with Turaki as the chairman.

On March 9, the court of appeal in Abuja nullified the convention.

The court held that the organisers of the convention breached the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) guidelines, which stipulate procedures for conducting such an exercise.

Consequently, the Wike group began preparations for a fresh convention.

Speaking on Friday night after inspecting the convention venue in Abuja, Wike said the appeal won’t stop the event.

“There is room for accommodation. The PDP is a very large party. Look at the umbrella, it is wide enough to accommodate everyone,” he said.

“I have always said that in any group, there will be grievances. You cannot expect that in a family of two or three people, everyone will always be satisfied, let alone a party with millions of members.

“There will always be a few who are not happy. We have agreed to meet with them, understand their concerns, and explore how we can accommodate them. What is most important is the overall interest of the party.

“We have already zoned our positions. Every zone has its own slots. The presidency has been zoned to the south, while the chairmanship is zoned to the north. We believe this consensus arrangement will make the process easier.”

The minister said the convention will be held as scheduled, adding that efforts to resolve internal disputes will continue afterwards.

On Wednesday, Turaki said his camp has commenced reconciliation with the Wike group to ensure the party fields candidates for all elective positions in the 2027 elections.