A new initiative is reportedly underway, spearheaded by former Senate President Bukola Saraki, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, and former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido.
A new
According to The Nation, it is aimed at saving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from what stakeholders fear is “total destruction” due to its protracted internal crisis.
The proposed solution centers on the formation of a National Caretaker Committee to run the party’s affairs until a widely acceptable national convention can be held.
The initiative is gaining momentum due to the multiple layers of crisis currently afflicting the party.
The four-year tenure of the previous National Working Committee (NWC) is set to expire on December 10. The legitimacy of the new leadership elected at the Ibadan convention last month, under Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu, is currently being challenged in court.
Checks on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) website show that the currently recognized PDP leaders are Ambassador Umar Damagum (National Chairman) and Senator Samuel Anyanwu (National Secretary). This creates a legal ambiguity and a lack of unified authority.
Sources suggest that the next ruling from the Federal High Court is likely to invalidate the Ibadan convention, which failed to meet constitutional pre-convention conditions.
Without an immediate Caretaker Committee, the party risks being left without a legally recognized administrative structure.
The Caretaker Committee, if constituted, would be composed of representatives from the rival factions and tasked with organizing an inclusive national convention.
The infighting and leadership confusion are now directly threatening the PDP’s ability to participate in the upcoming off-season governorship elections.
The uncertainties created by the crisis in the party are now putting at risk the participation of its candidates in the June 20,2026 off-season governorship election in Ekiti State and that of August 8,2026 in Osun State.
According to INEC guidelines, only the National Chairman and National Secretary on the Commission’s records are issued the access code to upload candidate details.
With Ambassador Damagum and Senator Anyanwu belonging to opposing camps (Damagum handed over leadership to Tanimu’s faction; Anyanwu is allied with Wike), the party faces a severe challenge in obtaining and using the required access code.
The crisis is already cited as the reason behind the exit of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, who is reportedly seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party.
A meeting of concerned stakeholders is being planned, possibly this week, to officially endorse the Caretaker Committee idea as the only “pragmatic way out” for the PDP.
“Former Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki who has been the leading factor in efforts towards reconciliation suggested the formation of a National Caretaker Committee weeks ago and his loyalists as well as those working with FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike and former Jigawa state governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido have already gone far on the National Caretaker Committee project,” a source said.
“Efforts have reached a climax and with the expiration of the current PDP National Working Committee’s four-year tenure on December 10 and the legally invalid basis for the November 15 gathering in Ibadan, the only pragmatic way out is for PDP to have a National Caretaker Committee.”
“Contending sides in the leadership tussle are aware that the next ruling from the Federal High Court will most likely be based on the constitutional pre-convention conditions that were never fulfilled before the so-called Ibadan convention and without the immediate constitution of a Caretaker Committee, the party may find itself in limbo,” a PDP legislator told The Nation in Abuja.
Given the immediate deadline for the Ekiti election access code (November 10 was due for collection, and the upload deadline is December 22), the PDP is facing a severe administrative crisis.
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