By Emmanuel Kwada
The ongoing power struggle within Nigeria’s main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) escalated dramatically on Friday as a faction loyal to Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike convened at the FCT Administration (FCTA) Secretariat to inaugurate a parallel Board of Trustees (BoT), effectively challenging the party’s national leadership.
The high-stakes gathering, attended by scores of Wike supporters, marked a bold assertion of independence by the pro-Wike group amid deepening divisions that have fractured the PDP since its loss in the 2023 general elections.
The event, held under tight security at the FCTA’s administrative hub in Abuja, saw the faction elect former Abia North Senator Mao Ohuabunwa as the new BoT Chairman and Hon. Isah Dansidi as Secretary, in a direct snub to the incumbent BoT led by Senator Adolphus Wabara.
Leading the charge was factional Acting National Chairman Alhaji Abdulrahman Mohammed, alongside suspended PDP National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu, both vocal Wike allies.
In his address to the assembled crowd—which included Wike himself, former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, elder statesman Chief Jim Nwobodo, and other party stalwarts—Muhammad decried the Wabara-led BoT as having “lost moral balance” and accused suspended National Chairman Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum of prioritizing “personal loyalty over the rule of law.”
“Today marks a significant turning point in the life of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party,” Mohammed declared, framing the inauguration not as a schism but as a “renewal of faith” in the PDP’s founding principles of justice, fairness, inclusivity, and constitutional adherence.
He emphasized that the new BoT would act as the party’s “conscience and stabilising moral compass,” mediating stakeholder disputes to foster harmony and curb “divisive tendencies.”
The faction unanimously approved Ohuabunwa’s leadership, noting his Southern roots as a nod to regional balance, mirroring Wabara’s origins, while Dansidi’s Northern appointment aligns with the ousted Secretary Senator Ahmed Makarfi’s profile.
Ohuabunwa, a one-time pharmaceutical entrepreneur and PDP founding member, vowed to restore “internal democracy through transparency and respect for the rule of law,” echoing the crowd’s chants of solidarity.
Wike, who has been at loggerheads with PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and other party elders since his appointment to President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet, was present but did not address the gathering directly.
Sources close to the minister described the move as a “strategic restructuring” to reclaim the PDP from what they call “entrenched cabals” undermining its opposition role.
This development comes just days after the main PDP BoT, under Wabara, established a six-man reconciliation committee on November 5 to address the party’s fractures ahead of its national convention slated for November 15-16 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
That effort, however, appears sidelined by Friday’s parallel action, which Anyanwu defended as a necessary response to his suspension and the Damagum faction’s alleged overreach.
The PDP’s crisis traces back to post-2023 election recriminations, with Wike’s alliance with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) fueling accusations of betrayal from Atiku’s camp. Earlier this week, tensions boiled over at the party’s Wadata Plaza headquarters when Wike loyalists attempted to seize control, prompting security interventions.
As of press time, the national PDP leadership had not issued an official response, but insiders predict legal challenges and further defections. Political analysts warn that the split could weaken the opposition’s cohesion, especially with Nigeria grappling with economic woes and insecurity.
The PDP, once Nigeria’s dominant force, now faces a pivotal test: reconciliation or fragmentation ahead of future polls.
