Ogona Anita
The Independent National Electoral Commission on Friday intervened in the leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, summoning the party’s rival factions to its headquarters in Abuja.
The meeting brought together the faction led by Tanimu Turaki and the group headed by Abdulrahman Mohammed, which is backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Turaki attended the meeting alongside members of his National Working Committee, secretariat staff and former Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu, while Mohammed was accompanied by members of his national caretaker committee, including its secretary, Senator Sam Anyanwu.
Speaking at the opening of the meeting, the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, said the intervention became necessary following a series of conflicting correspondence received from the party.
“This meeting has become necessary because we have received several correspondence from various sides requesting one thing or the other.
“And we are aware that INEC is charged statutorily under the Act and under the Constitution to monitor the activities of political parties,” he said.
He noted that the intervention was also informed by preparations for the Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections scheduled for February 21, 2026, as well as the governorship polls in Ekiti and Osun states slated for June and July 2026 respectively.
“And as a build-up to these elections, we have issued our own schedule of activities to all the political parties. And we are on course to ensure that we have a very smooth election at the area council of FCT and at Ekiti and Osun states.
“We have received conflicting correspondence from the PDP, and we felt that rubbing minds together would be a good opportunity for us to forge the way forward concerning the elections.
“And I’m happy that this morning we have the very top officials that are present here so that we can discuss as a family and see how the issues can be resolved and we move forward,” he said.
The INEC chairman stressed that the commission’s actions were guided strictly by the Constitution, the Electoral Act and its internal regulations, assuring the factions of its neutrality.
“So we are mindful of the need for us to maintain the sanctity of the Constitution of Nigeria. Actually, INEC sits on a tripod, comprising three legal regimes: the Constitution, the Electoral Act, and the regulations that have been made. So, we are determined to ensure that we follow the provisions of the various laws, the Constitution and the regulations that we have made.
“So without much ado, I want to welcome all of you, and I request that we should have very, very frank discussions to ensure that we can achieve the objective of this meeting,” he said.
Following the opening remarks, the meeting proceeded into a closed-door session.
The meeting is expected to yield recommendations on resolving the PDP’s internal disputes ahead of the forthcoming elections.
