PDP crisis: Abdulrahman-led NWC fixes National Convention for March 28

By Omeiza Ajayi

ABUJA: Following last week’s court judgment which reaffirmed its leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, the Alhaji Abdulrahman Mohammed-led National Working Committee NWC of the party on Monday said it had formally taken control of the party’s affairs and has now fixed its National Convention for March 28 and 29, 2026, in Abuja.

The decision aims to elect a new National Working Committee NWC and resolve the leadership friction that has trailed the party for months.

PDP made the announcement in a communique issued at the conclusion of the 105th National Executive Committee NEC meeting held on Monday in Abuja.

The communique was signed by the Caretaker National Chairman, Hon. Abdulrahman Muhammed and the Caretaker National Secretary, Sen. Samuel N. Anyanwu.

In a move to restore stability and constitutional order, the NEC approved a comprehensive schedule for party congresses across the country.

These Ward Congresses will hold in February 2026; Local Government Congresses also in February 2026 while the State Congresses hold in March 2026.

NEC mandated the National Caretaker Committee to immediately “activate Convention Sub-Committees and commence full logistical, administrative, and consultative preparations” to ensure the process remains transparent and credible.

The NEC formally reconfirmed the Hon. Abdulrahman Mohammed-led National Caretaker Committee as the “only lawful national administrative organ of the Party.”

To prevent any administrative vacuum, the NEC also extended the tenure of all affected Caretaker Committees at the State and Zonal levels.

Addressing recent legal battles, the party welcomed the judgment of the Federal High Court in Ibadan, which validated its current leadership structure.

“NEC welcomed and affirmed the judgment… which upheld the legality of the Party’s leadership and administrative arrangements and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to recognize the duly constituted National Caretaker Committee,” the communique stated.

The party leadership emphasised that all resolutions reached during the previous Emergency 104th NEC Meeting remain “binding, lawful, and operative,” asserting that these steps were taken in strict compliance with the PDP Constitution and the Electoral Act.

Earlier, while addressing the NEC meeting, Mohammed declared that the “cloud of uncertainty” hanging over the party has finally lifted.

He signaled an immediate shift towards internal elections and the long-awaited national convention.

Mohammed, whose address centred on the recent Federal High Court judgment in Ibadan, which nullified a rival convention held in that city last year, described the ruling as a “much-needed legal clarity” that affirmed the legitimacy of his leadership and that of National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.

“The judgement has conferred existential credibility on the leadership of our great party as presently constituted. This outcome did not come by accident. It is the reward of your collective decision to stand on the side of the law,” Mohammed told NEC members.

The chairman characterised 2025 as a “testing and refining period” where the party survived internal attempts to bypass established procedures.

He noted that the PDP did not collapse under the pressure of judicial challenges but instead emerged “refined, strengthened and reoriented.”

With the legal hurdles cleared, the National Working Committee NWC announced its readiness to hit the ground running, saying its focus will now shift to organising outstanding state and regional congresses, culminating in a constitutionally compliant national convention.

“We are today firmly positioned to roll out our activities without hesitation or uncertainty,” Muhammed stated, urging members to move past previous animosities.

In an effort to foster party unity, the chairman adopted a conciliatory tone, reaching out to aggrieved members who may have supported the rival faction.

He insisted that the court victory belongs to the entire party rather than a specific clique.

“In this process, there are no absolute losers. I call on all members of our great party, at every level, to jettison divisive tendencies and destructive rhetoric. Now is the time to heal wounds and rebuild trust,” he stated.

Mohammed praised the Federal Capital Territory FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, for his “intellectual depth” and leadership during the “trying period”, and also extended gratitude to former Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, for his insistence on due process and the “supremacy of the law.”

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