In a development likely to shape the future of the Peoples Democratic Party ahead of the 2027 elections, Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, and the party’s Board of Trustees have endorsed a Court of Appeal-backed reconciliation accord with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike’s camp.
Senior party leaders, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment on the issue, revealed that the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Bauchi State Governor Senator Bala, rejected the reconciliation initiative, insisting he could not work with the Wike camp.
Earlier, the PDP governors had endorsed the Ibadan convention held on November 15, which elected Tanimu Turaki (SAN) and other members of the National Working Committee for a four-year term.
They also oversaw the handover of leadership from former Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, to Turaki before Damagum’s tenure ended on December 9, 2025.
However, a faction loyal to Wike formed a 13-member Caretaker Committee on December 8, 2025, appointing Mohammed Abdulrahman as Acting National Chairman and Senator Samuel Anyanwu as Acting National Secretary, among others, with a 60-day mandate.
Attempts by both the Wike-aligned faction and the governors’ group to hold meetings at the PDP National Secretariat in Wadata Plaza on November 18, 2025, descended into chaos, resulting in disorder and physical confrontations.
The Nigeria Police Force subsequently sealed the secretariat, which has remained closed ever since.
Both factions then sought recognition from the Independent National Electoral Commission, but the commission declined to recognise either group, triggering prolonged legal disputes as preparations for the 2027 general elections gained momentum.
On February 12, the Court of Appeal heard all consolidated cases related to the PDP leadership crisis, delivering its judgment on March 9.
In a ruling by a panel led by Justice Mohammed Danjuma, the court upheld the Federal High Court of Abuja’s earlier decision, which found that the processes that produced the governors-backed Ibadan National Convention of November 15–16, 2025, violated the Electoral Act, the Nigerian Constitution and the PDP Constitution.
Consequently, the appellate court nullified the convention’s outcome, declaring the election of Turaki and other members of the NWC invalid.
Also, Justice Biobele Georgewill, leading a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Wednesday, granted all parties involved in the PDP elective convention case permission to pursue a settlement.
The matter was adjourned sine die, based on the agreement of the counsel for both sides to proceed with the settlement process.