Loading ...ABUJA — The internal schisms within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) reached a critical legal impasse on Thursday following the presentation of parallel Certificates of Return to two rival candidates vying for the party’s ticket ahead of the 2027 Benue State gubernatorial election. The development effectively signals a de facto split within the state chapter, setting the stage for an intense statutory and judicial battle over the legitimate custody of the party’s machinery.
The Wike Faction Backs Aondoakaa (SAN)
At the PDP National Secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Abuja, the faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, formally presented its Certificate of Return to former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Michael Aondoakaa (SAN).
Aondoakaa, a formidable legal heavyweight with significant institutional capital, emerged as the winner of the primary organized by the pro-Wike camp. The presentation ceremony was highly symbolic, intended to project institutional legitimacy:
- Running Mate Affirmation: Aondoakaa was presented alongside his selected running mate, Oyije Ochaekiti Ogbenjuwa.
- Stakeholder Backing: The delegation included prominent statutory delegates and PDP leaders from Benue State who are aligned against the current national working committee’s orthodox structure.
The Turaki Faction Affirms Emmanuel Agbo
In a simultaneous and parallel institutional maneuver, a rival faction of the party led by the former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN), presented a conflicting Certificate of Return to Dr. Emmanuel Agbo. Agbo, who currently serves as the Director-General of the PDP Governors’ Forum, was declared the winner of a separate primary process overseen by the anti-Wike coalition.
The endorsement of Agbo by the PDP Governors’ Forum machinery positions his candidacy as the choice of the party’s mainstream executive block, placing the powerful governors directly at odds with Wike’s expansive operational network in the North-Central zone.
Legal and Constitutional Fallout
For a university-educated electorate analyzing the mechanisms of party politics, this parallel outcome represents a severe structural failure of internal party democracy. Under the Electoral Act 2022 and prevailing Supreme Court precedents, INEC can only recognize a candidate emerging from primary elections monitored by the legally recognized National Executive Committee (NEC) of a political party.
By producing two distinct gubernatorial candidates—each backed by senior Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs)—the Benue PDP crisis will almost certainly bypass internal arbitration mechanisms and head straight to the Federal High Court. The impending litigation threatens to freeze the party’s mobilization efforts, potentially presenting a strategic advantage to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State as the 2027 campaign cycle draws closer.
