The internal crisis inside the Peoples Democratic Party deepened on Tuesday as a faction loyal to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike settled on Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Abdulrahman Mohammed as consensus candidates for National Secretary and National Chairman ahead of the party’s national convention on March 29–30.
Governors distance themselves from the process
Governors elected on the PDP platform swiftly distanced themselves from the consensus arrangement.
They insisted the process was not binding on them and vowed to challenge it legally before the convention holds in Abuja.
How the consensus was reached
Highly placed members of the Wike-backed National Caretaker Committee, who declined to be named as they were not authorised to speak publicly, told journalists that all six geopolitical zones had agreed on candidates for National Working Committee positions.
The National Chairman slot was zoned to the North-Central, while the National Secretary went to the South-East, specifically Imo State, where Anyanwu emerged as the consensus pick.
According to a source who attended the North-Central caucus meeting, Wike personally appealed to former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom and former Kogi State Deputy Governor Philip Salawu to step aside for Abdulrahman Mohammed.
“The meeting concluded with the North-Central zone agreeing that it should produce the National Chairman,” the source said.
Religious balance was also cited as a factor.
“They wanted the National Chairman to be a Muslim, anticipating that the person emerging would otherwise be a Christian,” the source added, noting that Anyanwu’s emergence as National Secretary from the South-East influenced the calculation.
Zonal distributions across the country
Other positions were distributed across zones as follows:
In the North-West, Sokoto retains the National Organising Secretary position, Katsina takes the National Youth Leader, and Kano takes the Deputy Treasurer. Jigawa was allocated the Zonal Vice Chairman slot.
In the South-West, the Woman Leader went to Oyo, the Treasurer to Osun, the Deputy Secretary to Ekiti, and the Zonal Vice Chairman to Lagos.
In the North-East, Taraba received the Deputy National Chairman (North) slot, Bauchi the Publicity Secretary, Gombe the Deputy Woman Leader, Borno the Deputy Financial Secretary, and Adamawa the Zonal Vice Chairman.
In the South-South, Rivers takes the National Vice Chairman, Cross River the Financial Secretary, Delta the Deputy National Organising Secretary, Akwa Ibom the Deputy Youth Leader, and Edo the Zonal Vice Chairman.
Wike faction defends consensus method
The Wike-backed PDP Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, declined to confirm or deny specific details but defended the approach.
“As far as we are concerned, we believe consensus is the best way to go,” he said. “Once you have consensus, it means there’s consent of all stakeholders, the aspirants and the stakeholders, as opposed to imposition.”
He added that it saves time and resources.
“When you take away the election process, it saves a lot of time, resources, and animosity,” Mohammed said.
The PDP national convention is scheduled for March 29–30, 2026 in Abuja. Governors aligned with the rival Tanimu Turaki-led NWC have vowed to pursue legal action if the convention proceeds on the Wike faction’s terms. With both sides claiming legitimacy, the convention could further fracture a party already battling internal division ahead of the 2027 general elections.