Amid the leadership tussle within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has formally engaged with the Nyesom Wike-aligned faction, marking a key development following a recent court ruling on the party’s national leadership.
The engagement signalled increasing institutional recognition of the faction’s role within the main opposition party, coming against the backdrop of lingering tensions over legitimacy and control of party organs after months of rivalry.
Senior members of the Wike-backed caretaker leadership attended INEC’s quarterly consultative meeting with political parties on Thursday at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja. Those present included Acting National Chairman Abdulrahman Mohammed, Acting National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and National Organising Secretary Umar Bature.
Notably, INEC officials allocated seats identifying Mohammed as “PDP Chairman” and positioned Anyanwu in the section labelled “PDP National Secretary,” a move observers say reflects a shift in the commission’s engagement with the party’s warring factions.
The development follows a judgment delivered last Friday by a Federal High Court in Ibadan, which nullified the PDP national convention held on November 15, 2025, and restrained the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee from parading itself as the party’s national leadership.
With the court ruling and INEC’s latest interaction, the Wike-aligned bloc appears to have strengthened its position in steering the party’s central affairs, even as internal disputes over authority and legitimacy persist.
