National Convention: PDP Draws Battle Line With Wike’s Camp

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is heading into its November National Convention in Ibadan, Oyo State, deeply divided, with battle lines now drawn between the mainstream leadership and the camp loyal to Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike.

After a late-night meeting on Monday, Wike’s bloc issued a six-point demand to the National Working Committee (NWC), insisting that compliance was mandatory for the validity of the upcoming convention. The party leadership, however, has dismissed the ultimatum, accusing the group—made up of former governors Samuel Ortom, Ayo Fayose, Okezie Ikpeazu, and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi—of attempting to blackmail and hijack the party.

The confrontation reached a peak yesterday in Abuja at the inauguration of the 2025 National Convention Organising Committee, where party heavyweights, including National Chairman Umar Damagum, Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, and Convention Committee Chairman Ahmadu Fintiri, openly pushed back against threats to PDP’s unity.

Six Demands from Wike’s Camp

Wike and his allies have demanded fresh congresses in Ebonyi and Anambra states in line with existing court rulings, alongside a new South-East zonal congress. They also insisted on the immediate conduct of Ekiti local government congresses and respect for South-South congresses whose results were upheld by the courts.

The camp further rejected micro-zoning beyond what was approved by the National Executive Committee (NEC), while demanding that the national chairmanship remain zoned to the North Central region. According to them, ignoring these demands would render the November convention invalid.

Political observers note that the demands, though couched in legal and procedural terms, reflect deeper battles over control of the party’s internal structures and the strategic positioning ahead of 2027.

PDP Governors Hit Back: “We Are Not Cowards”

Bauchi State Governor and chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Bala Mohammed, responded with stinging criticism, vowing that governors would not allow the party to be dragged into self-destruction.

“We are not cowards; we are not afraid of anybody. But we cannot continue to keep quiet and allow people to take us to the slaughterhouse. That is their job. Our job is to make sure we don’t go to the slaughterhouse. We will not allow it,” he declared.

Mohammed accused Wike’s group of undermining the collective spirit of the party, stressing that “accommodation does not mean stupidity.” He warned that any attempt to form a “faction of fools” would not derail the larger vision of PDP. “Enough is enough,” he thundered, pledging that governors will work with the NWC to ensure discipline prevails.

Defiance From Party Leadership

National Chairman Umar Damagum reinforced this hardline stance, insisting the PDP would not buckle under pressure. He described the party as resilient and better positioned to reclaim power in 2027.

“The PDP is not broken. The PDP is not defeated. The PDP is marching forward stronger, more determined, and better prepared to reclaim the presidency of this great country and rebuild Nigeria from the mismanagement of the ruling party,” Damagum said.

He further alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was secretly supporting internal saboteurs to destabilise the PDP. Comparing the party’s struggle to its historic resistance against military dictatorship, Damagum urged members to resist “undemocratic forces.”

PDP Convention Will Hold Despite Tensions

Representing PDP’s Board of Trustees Chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi warned that while no group would be excluded, the majority must not be held hostage by a few individuals. “A convention is not about 100 per cent agreement, but about the overwhelming majority,” he stated.

Convention Committee Chairman, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa, assured members that the Ibadan gathering will go ahead as scheduled, free from intimidation. “Nobody will derail this convention. Our task is to deliver a credible process that strengthens the PDP, not weakens it,” he declared.

With both camps refusing to back down, the stage appears set for a bruising internal showdown that could either re-energise the PDP ahead of 2027—or deepen the divisions that have haunted the party since its 2023 electoral defeat.