…says ‘Information circulated by APC appendages”
The Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dismissed reports suggesting that the party is conducting congresses across the country.
The National Chairman, Tanimu Turaki, personally dismissed the reports in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday evening.
Turaki acted just as the Mohammed Abdulrahman-led camp of the party had set in motion plans to conduct congresses this month, leading to a national convention.
Only on Sunday, the camp, which is backed by Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, had confirmed the plans for the congresses.
“We are working now on having our congresses starting from next week.
“What’s important is proper coordination and we will meet up with the requirement of digital registration of our members.
“For now, the focus is to have proper congresses, starting from next week,” the National Publicity Secretary, Honourable Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, had said.
But, 24 hours later, Turaki dismissed the position of the Wike-backed camp, saying that those spreading the information were expelled former members, who had become the “appendages” of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Turaki stated, “Our members and the general public are hereby notified that our party is not conducting congresses in any part of the country.
*The false information is being circulated by expelled members of our party, who now have clearly shown their unrelenting appendages to the All Progressives Congress (APC), in a bid to kill our party and derail our democracy.
*This false information and illegal association is one of the plans in the playbook of those who had mortgaged the fate of our party to the President and the APC, in return for political appointments and other favours.
“We cannot surrender our party to people who want to use the platform for negotiation with the ruling party, as they did during the just concluded FCT Area Council Elections.
“This disposition is obviously against the principles of multiparty democracy, which is the best option for a heterogenous and pluralistic society like ours.”
He called on all party members and the general public to discountenance the said planned congresses in the said states.
“What the party is currently undertaking is the digital membership registration, which has commenced and is progressing well.
“We will keep our members updated about the developments concomitant with the new political realities unfolding”, Turaki added.
The two camps in the party are locked in a leadership battle, with each being recognised by courts of similar jurisdiction.
While an Ibadan High Court validated the November 15, 2025, National Convention of the party, which produced the Turaki-led NWC, an Abuja Federal High Court upheld that the convention was illegal.
The Abuja court ruled that the PDP could at best be administered by the caretaker system for now, a decision the Abdulrahman-led faction interpreted to mean a backing for it.
Incidentally, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognised the decision of the court by recently inviting Abdulrahman to its stakeholders’ meeting with leaders of political parties in Abuja.
However, it is a case that the final destination is most likely going to be the Supreme Court.