Leadership Crisis: PDP Staff, PDI Pledge Support For Turaki Led NWC
The Peoples Democratic Institute (PDI) and the staff of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have pledged their support for the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee ( NWC) of the party.
In a statement jointly signed by Gambo Gaude, acting Director of Administration (PDP) and Edward Ugbada, Director General (PDI) and 74 others, the party staff and the PDI, said they would not support any other leadership, other than the Turaki-led NWC.
In the statement, the staff made it clear that, as custodians of the PDP National Secretariat, they would not recognise or align with any leadership other than the one produced by the Ibadan convention.
They stated, “That the entire Management and Staff of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), reaffirm our recognition, loyalty and allegiance to the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki SAN-led National Working Committee (NWC) of our great Party which was duly and legally elected at the Party’s National Convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15-16, 2025.
“That we stand by the election of the National Working Committee and all other resolutions reached at the Ibadan National Convention as they are in the general interest of our party in the exercise of its supremacy over its internal affairs in line with the Constitution of the PDP and extant judgments of the Supreme Court.
“That there was no legal encumbrance whatsoever against the conduct of the National Convention in Ibadan to elect new National Officers of our party, as it was legally convened by the National Executive Committee at its 101st meeting of July 24, 2025 pursuant to its powers under Section 31 (2) (a) of the PDP Constitution.
“That our Party fulfilled the statutory requirements of the law as stipulated in Section 84 of the Electoral Act, 2022 by notifying INEC of the National Convention which was convened with them (INEC) in attendance.”
Raising concerns over the Ibadan judgment, the staff described it as inconsistent with existing Supreme Court decisions on party internal affairs, especially as the matter is already before an appellate court on the issue of jurisdiction.
They also faulted the court for granting reliefs which, according to them, were not sought and for attempting to impose a caretaker committee on the party.
“There is no provision in our Party’s Constitution empowering any unelected individual or group to arbitrarily form committees and allocate positions to themselves,” they said.
The staff further stated that the tenure of the immediate past NWC had ended and that its members could no longer lay claim to any office within the party.
Commending the party leadership for filing an appeal and securing a stay of execution, the staff said the legal steps had placed the judgment in abeyance and preserved the status of the Turaki-led NWC pending the outcome of the appeal.
Beyond the leadership dispute, the statement escalated the matter to a broader democratic concern, calling on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to act.
