ABUJA, Nigeria — The internal warfare tearing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) apart took a defiant turn on Wednesday as the Board of Trustees (BoT), led by Senator Adolphus Wabara, officially rejected the Court of Appeal judgment that nullified the party’s November 2025 National Convention.
In a move that signals a total breakdown of party discipline, the BoT—widely seen as the backbone of the faction loyal to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde—refused to recognize the court’s sacking of National Chairman Kabiru Tanimu Turaki.
The decision followed an emergency “expanded” meeting in Abuja, where the party’s elders issued a scathing communiqué. Rather than moving toward a fresh convention as suggested by the rival Wike-aligned camp, the Wabara-led board instead constituted a high-powered Reconciliation and Strategy Panel to begin groundwork for the 2027 general elections.
“We stand by the mandate given in Ibadan,” the communiqué read. “The judiciary cannot be used as a tool to destabilize the primary opposition in this country. Our focus remains on 2027, and we will not be distracted by orchestrated legal hurdles.”
The move is a direct challenge to the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led National Caretaker Committee, which had already begun preparing for a new convention on March 28. By setting up its own “reconciliation” panel, the Makinde-backed BoT is effectively creating a parallel leadership structure, further deepening the rift between the party’s governors and its influential elders.
Political analysts note that this defiance sets the stage for a massive showdown at the Supreme Court. With the BoT digging in its heels and the rival faction gaining legal ground, the PDP now finds itself with two chairmen, two strategies, and a rapidly shrinking window to unite before the next election cycle begins in earnest.
