The internal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party deepened on Wednesday as the faction loyal to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike unveiled a 19-member caretaker committee to run the party in Lagos State. The committee was inaugurated in Ikeja by the factional National Working Committee, escalating the ongoing leadership battle within the opposition party.
The move followed the dissolution of existing PDP state executives in several states, including Lagos, by the Wike-backed NWC. The faction is led by Alhaji Abdulraman Mohammed as National Chairman and Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary, both rejecting the legitimacy of rival party leadership structures.
Speaking at the event, Deputy National Secretary of the factional NWC, Adedeji Doherty, accused some senior PDP figures of undermining the party’s constitution. He blamed the prolonged crisis on key leaders, naming Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and Chief Olabode George among those he said contributed to internal instability.
Doherty dismissed the November PDP national convention that produced another NWC, describing it as a “kangaroo process” lacking democratic legitimacy. He insisted Mohammed remains the authentic PDP National Chairman and argued that INEC does not recognise the disputed convention. He urged party members to close ranks and focus on rebuilding rather than internal power struggles.
In a controversial remark, Doherty said there was nothing wrong with the PDP supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 to retain power in the South. He described Tinubu as politically formidable and said backing him would not amount to abandoning the PDP. He also defended Wike’s decision to support Tinubu as a personal political choice.
Kayode Ogunbiyi was sworn in as chairman of the Lagos caretaker committee, with Jamiu Awofala named secretary. Ogunbiyi said the committee has six weeks to stabilise the party and report back to the national secretariat. He promised discipline, transparency, and strict adherence to party rules and court judgments.
He announced plans to begin ward, local government, state, and zonal congresses from January 9, 2026, to be completed within 60 days. Ogunbiyi also pledged to promote youth and women participation while discouraging violence and misinformation.
Party elders described the inauguration as a fresh start, even as the PDP’s national crisis continues to widen.
