ABUJA, NIGERIA — The internal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has deepened significantly ahead of the 2027 general elections as the faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, officially commenced its own independent screening exercise for presidential, governorship, and National Assembly hopefuls.
The factional screening exercise kicked off on Thursday, May 14, 2026, in Abuja, signaling a formal and potentially permanent split within the nation’s main opposition party.
The Parallel National Working Committee
According to an official statement released by the group, the high-level screening process is being fully coordinated by a parallel National Working Committee (NWC) under the leadership of Alhaji Abdulrahman Mohammed.
This parallel structure was established by the Wike-backed camp following months of unresolved litigation, mutual suspensions, and fierce constitutional battles over the control of the party’s national secretariat and its traditional organs. By organizing a separate desk to vet candidates for the 2027 general elections, the faction has effectively established a distinct electoral pipeline completely decoupled from the rival PDP faction, which remains aligned with stakeholders backing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Deepening the Existential Crisis
The parallel screening exercise has introduced immense confusion into the political arena and poses a severe headache for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
- The Ticket Dilemma: With two separate factions actively inviting aspirants to purchase expression of interest forms and submit to screening panels, the PDP faces the immediate prospect of presenting duplicate candidates for every elective position in 2027.
- The Legal Chokehold: Legal experts point out that the legitimacy of the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led NWC’s screening depends entirely on several pending appeals before the Supreme Court regarding which faction constitutes the legally recognized executive of the PDP.
The Wider 2027 Impact
The creation of this separate screening desk coincides with massive movements across other political platforms. While the Wike-led faction asserts its authority within its slice of the PDP, the Atiku-backed faction is rapidly losing its most vibrant voting blocs to newly emerged coalitions like the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC)—which houses the Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso alliance—and the northern-led African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Political analysts note that by entrenching a parallel screening process, the Wike camp is structurally signaling that it will either force absolute control over the PDP name or systematically weaken the party’s traditional brand to clear an easier path for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the next general election.
