TheCable Nigeria News: Wike-backed PDP faction holds BoT meeting in Abuja, plans fresh congresses
Published on: 02/05/2026
By Samuel Akpan
A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) backed by Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Monday held a board of trustees (BoT) meeting in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Speaking at the meeting, Mao Ohuabunwa, the BoT chairman, said the party has witnessed “turbulent times” in recent months.
“Internal disagreements, leadership disputes, and legal contests have tested our cohesion,” he said.
Ohuabunwa said, despite the internal wrangling, the party has endured because of “fidelity to constitutional order”.
He said the strength of the BoT lies in its ability to rise above factions and ambitions, adding that its mandate is to guide, counsel, reconcile, and protect the party’s long-term interests.
“History will judge us kindly if it records that, at a critical moment, the PDP chose legality over expediency and patience over provocation,” he said.
Ohuabunwa commended the recent judgement of the federal high court in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, which nullified the November 15 national convention organised by the faction backed by Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo, and Bala Mohammed, his Bauchi counterpart.
He said the BoT must continue to project confidence in democratic institutions and discourage actions or rhetoric that undermine constitutional order.
“Our moral authority derives not from partisanship, but from fairness, balance, and fidelity to due process. As a family, the PDP has always accommodated strong opinions and influential actors,” Ohuabunwa said.
“This has been both our challenge and our strength. It is therefore important that, even as we differ, we acknowledge leadership efforts aimed at keeping the party relevant in national discourse.
Also speaking, Abdulrahman Mohammed, chairman of the PDP caretaker committee, said the party will roll out a timetable for congresses in some states that will usher in a seamless national convention.
Mohammed said the PDP remains the only party that is “built and centred on people structures, national coherence, and verifiable legacies”.
“We cannot afford for this party to sleep in our hands,” he said.
The PDP is polarised into two factions — the Wike group led by Mohammed and the Kabiru Turaki faction, backed by Makinde.
Speaking at the meeting, Mao Ohuabunwa, the BoT chairman, said the party has witnessed “turbulent times” in recent months.
“Internal disagreements, leadership disputes, and legal contests have tested our cohesion,” he said.
Ohuabunwa said, despite the internal wrangling, the party has endured because of “fidelity to constitutional order”.
He said the strength of the BoT lies in its ability to rise above factions and ambitions, adding that its mandate is to guide, counsel, reconcile, and protect the party’s long-term interests.
“History will judge us kindly if it records that, at a critical moment, the PDP chose legality over expediency and patience over provocation,” he said.
Ohuabunwa commended the recent judgement of the federal high court in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, which nullified the November 15 national convention organised by the faction backed by Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo, and Bala Mohammed, his Bauchi counterpart.
He said the BoT must continue to project confidence in democratic institutions and discourage actions or rhetoric that undermine constitutional order.
“Our moral authority derives not from partisanship, but from fairness, balance, and fidelity to due process. As a family, the PDP has always accommodated strong opinions and influential actors,” Ohuabunwa said.
“This has been both our challenge and our strength. It is therefore important that, even as we differ, we acknowledge leadership efforts aimed at keeping the party relevant in national discourse.
Also speaking, Abdulrahman Mohammed, chairman of the PDP caretaker committee, said the party will roll out a timetable for congresses in some states that will usher in a seamless national convention.
Mohammed said the PDP remains the only party that is “built and centred on people structures, national coherence, and verifiable legacies”.
“We cannot afford for this party to sleep in our hands,” he said.
The PDP is polarised into two factions — the Wike group led by Mohammed and the Kabiru Turaki faction, backed by Makinde.