Fresh efforts are underway to halt the deepening crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as prominent party figures, including Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike, former Senate President Bukola Saraki and former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, reportedly move to broker a political rescue plan.
The opposition party has been engulfed in a prolonged internal conflict that has weakened its structure nationwide. Over the past year, the PDP has suffered a wave of defections, with a majority of its governors leaving the party, many of them joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Reports also indicate that Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, who recently exited the PDP, is being courted by the Accord Party ahead of future electoral contests.
The leadership crisis has further degenerated into expulsions and counter-expulsions between rival factions struggling for control of the party’s national machinery. Party insiders warn that the turmoil could undermine the PDP’s chances in forthcoming off-season governorship elections, particularly in Ekiti and Osun states.
According to sources, Saraki is spearheading a fresh intervention anchored on the formation of a National Caretaker Committee, with membership to be drawn from the major contending blocs within the party. The proposed body would oversee the PDP’s affairs pending the conduct of a broadly accepted national convention.
The plan follows the controversial national convention held in Ibadan in November, which produced a new National Executive Committee led by Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu. That gathering has since been thrown into legal uncertainty, with suits challenging its legality and claims that critical constitutional and pre-convention requirements were not met.
It was gathered that Wike’s political camp, which disputes the legitimacy of the Ibadan convention, and Lamido, who had earlier secured a court order restraining the exercise, are now open to considering the caretaker arrangement as a way out of the stalemate.
Party stakeholders are expected to meet this week to fine-tune and possibly adopt the proposal. A senior party source said the impending expiration of the current National Working Committee’s tenure and the unresolved court cases leave the PDP with limited options to avoid a leadership vacuum.
Despite the handover by Ambassador Umar Damagum to the Ibadan-elected leadership, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is yet to update its records, with Damagum and Senator Samuel Anyanwu still listed as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.
As internal consultations intensify, party elders warn that failure to reach a consensus solution could leave the PDP adrift at a critical time, further eroding its position as Nigeria’s main opposition party.