The Nyesom Wike-backed Peoples Democratic Party has insisted that its planned national convention on March 29–30 will proceed as scheduled, despite ongoing litigation.

The PDP National Caretaker Committee, led by acting National Chairman, Mohammed Abdulrahman and National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, stated that the Independent National Electoral Commission had been formally informed of the planned convention.

In an exclusive interview with The PUNCH, the committee’s National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, along with another member, Okechukwu Osuoha, assured that party leaders remained committed to organising a fully inclusive convention.

The Governor Seyi Makinde-backed PDP, led by Tanimu Turaki (SAN), however, objected, insisting the Federal Capital Territory Minister’s bloc lacked the capacity and the locus to do so.

The National Publicity Secretary of the Turaki-led faction, Ini Ememobong, described the exercise as futile.

He said, “They lack the capacity and the locus to do so. They have been expelled from the PDP, so any gathering they hold in the name of the party will be an exercise in futility.”

On January 30, a Federal High Court in Ibadan, Oyo State, annulled the PDP national convention held on November 15, 2025, in Ibadan and directed Turaki (SAN) and several others to stop presenting themselves as national officers of the party.

Prior to the ruling, PDP governors, led by Makinde and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, had endorsed the Ibadan convention, which elected Turaki and the National Working Committee members for a four-year term.

While the governors facilitated a transition from former national chairman, Umar Damagum, to Turaki before Damagum’s tenure ended on December 9, the Wike-aligned faction formed a 13-member caretaker committee on December 8, appointing Mohammed as acting national chairman, Anyanwu as acting secretary, and others with a 60-day mandate.

Efforts by both the Wike-aligned faction and the governors’ faction to meet at Wadata Plaza on November 18, 2025, led to chaos and physical confrontations.

The police subsequently sealed the PDP National Headquarters, which has remained closed since.

The matter is awaiting judgment at the Appeal Court.

Both factions sought official recognition from INEC, which declined to recognise either side, triggering ongoing legal disputes ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Amid the developments, the Wike-aligned caretaker committee announced on February 3 that a national convention to elect new PDP leaders had been scheduled to take place in Abuja from March 29 to 30.

When asked whether the convention had been postponed due to litigation, the Publicity Secretary confirmed, “Well, the convention is going to hold as scheduled. INEC has been duly informed.

“Our party is determined to elect a new set of leaders who will pilot the affairs of the party. We are not distracted by the ongoing litigation.

“We are optimistic that it will be resolved in favour of our leadership. The convention will hold, and the ongoing litigation is not, and will not, affect our activities.”

Osuoha added, “The national convention is scheduled, and the party is preparing to follow all the steps as stated in the PDP Constitution and the Electoral Act.

“It is going to be an all-inclusive exercise. Those who are still members of the party know that it will hold as planned.

“The party is the only party in Nigeria that has organs and structures all over the country, covering all 774 local governments.”

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has lamented that poor communication is rendering the party’s achievements invisible despite significant infrastructure projects delivered by the Bola Tinubu administration and state governments.

Yilwatda made the observation on Tuesday at the Progressive Governors’ Forum-Renewed Hope Ambassadors Summit held at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja.

“Good governance without communication is invisible. I’ve visited many states. I’ve seen beautiful projects, beautiful things being done, but they’re invisible and not communicated,” the APC chairman lamented.

He emphasised that effective communication is critical to translating governance achievements into political capital ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“Communication without structure is noise. Politics without grassroots mobilisation is organised defeat,” Yilwatda said, explaining the rationale for establishing the Renewed Hope Ambassadors structure.

The party chairman listed major infrastructure achievements that have not received adequate publicity, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, the Badagry-Sokoto Road with over 300 dams for irrigation agriculture, the Red Line rail project, and the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline project.

“Is it the Coastal Road or the Badagry-Sokoto Road with over 300 dams spread across the route for irrigation agriculture to boost food security in the country?

“Or the Red Line, or the AKK project, which is the biggest and most expensive project ever in the country? But have they been heard loud and clear?” he asked.

Yilwatda said Tuesday’s summit is meant to address this communication gap by ensuring that governance achievements translate to public gratitude and ultimately electoral victory.

“We’re here to ensure that governance translates to gratitude, gratitude by the people for the projects, and gratitude also translates to loyalty. And loyalty translates to our victory in 2027,” he stated.

He added, “When the President speaks, let the governors reimport it. When the governors deliver, let the ambassadors amplify it. When the party decides, let the members defend it.”

The chairman warned against what he called “contradictory narratives, internal sabotage, and freelance communication,” insisting that unity in messaging is strategic power for the party.

“One party means one message, no contradictory narratives, no internal sabotage, and no freelance communication. Unity is not optional. Unity is strategic power as a party,” he emphasised.

Yilwatda dismissed opposition attempts to exploit the administration’s economic reforms for political gain, saying opponents “whisper confusion where we speak in clarity.”

He argued, “The opposition always hopes that our difficult reforms will weaken us.

“They are waiting for temporary discomfort. They refuse to acknowledge the long-term benefits to this country.”

He expressed confidence that Nigerians will reward performance over rhetoric in 2027.

“In 2027, Nigerians will not vote noise. Rather, they will vote for the results they will see on the streets and across the country,” the APC chairman declared.

Yilwatda said the party has chosen “reform over rhetoric, restructuring over recycling of failure, and building the economy and making reforms over cosmetic solutions.”

He described the summit as “a defining gathering that will define our vision, our conviction, and our purpose as a political party.”

The chairman outlined the summit’s dual purpose as strengthening governance communication under the Renewed Hope agenda and laying structural foundations for victory in 2027.

“Today begins the future of our party and our country. The future is not something that we await. Rather, it is something that we organise, and today is the starting point,” he stated.

The summit, themed “Taking Renewed Hope to the Grassroots: One Party, One Message, One Mobilisation Framework,” brought together Renewed Hope Ambassadors from the 36 states and the FCT, zonal coordinators, and members of the Federal Executive Council.

Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, who serves as Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum and Director-General of Renewed Hope Ambassadors, delivered the welcome address.

Vice President Kashim Shettima presented the Renewed Hope Compendium, while Tinubu gave the keynote address and officially opened the summit.

According to the programme, the Renewed Hope Ambassadors initiative is a grassroots mobilisation structure designed to communicate the administration’s achievements and build support ahead of the 2027 elections.

Zonal coordinators appointed include Senator Anyim Pius Anyim (South-East), Senator Tanko Al-Makura (North Central), Isa Yuguda (North East), Senator Ifeanyi Okowa (South-South), Senator Adedayo Adeyeye (South-West), and Aminu Masari (North-West).

The management team comprises Senator Uba Sani of Kaduna State as Deputy Director-General, Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State as Secretary, and James Faleke as Assistant Secretary.

The summit featured technical sessions, panel discussions, and a commitment ceremony aimed at aligning party structures for the 2027 electoral contest.

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The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has fixed March 24, 2026, for ruling on a joinder application in the suit seeking the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress, Accord Party, Zenith Labour Party and Action Alliance over alleged non-compliance with constitutional requirements.

The development follows a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/25, instituted by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators against the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Attorney-General of the Federation and the affected political parties.

The originating summons initially targeted only the ADC for deregistration, but was later amended to include the other parties, whose continued existence the plaintiffs contend breaches the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

At Tuesday’s proceedings before Justice Peter Lifu, counsel announced appearances for the parties, except for Action Alliance, which had two different lawyers from separate law firms claiming to represent it.

The two lawyers — Ibrahim Yakubu and Bello Lukman — maintained that they had valid letters of instruction to appear for the party.

In the exchange that followed, Justice Lifu asked whether both counsel were acting together. They responded negatively, insisting they had separate mandates.

The judge directed them to reconcile their positions, warning that the court would “do the needful” if they failed to resolve the representation issue.

In another application, counsel to the Accord Party, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), sought leave of court to file a further counter-affidavit in opposition to the amended originating summons joining the party in the suit.

Adetunbi, who brought the motion pursuant to Order 26 Rule 1 and Order 66 Rule 8, argued that the further counter-affidavit was necessary to address salient facts allegedly omitted in the earlier process. He urged the court to grant the application in the interest of justice and to enable it reach a just determination.

However, counsel to the plaintiff, Yakubu Abdullahi Ruba (SAN), opposed the application, arguing that no new facts were introduced in the amended originating summons to warrant a further counter-affidavit.

Ruba described the application as incompetent and unknown to the law, urging the court to refuse the request.

However, some of the counsel, including S.E. Aruwa (SAN), also applied for an extension of time to regularise their processes and filed a motion on notice challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit.

While Ruba opposed the application for enlargement of time, one of the counsels told the court that he had just been briefed and sought time to respond.

After listening to arguments, Justice Lifu granted the application for extension of time and deemed the plaintiff’s reply on points of law as properly filed.

The court subsequently adjourned the matter to March 24 for ruling on the joinder application and other pending motions.

Speaking with journalists after the proceedings, Ruba reiterated that the suit seeks a judicial interpretation of constitutional and statutory provisions governing the registration and continued recognition of political parties in Nigeria.

According to court documents, the action was commenced pursuant to Section 225(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Section 75(4) of the Electoral Act, 2022, and relevant provisions of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019.

The plaintiffs contend that INEC is constitutionally bound to deregister political parties that fail to meet minimum electoral performance thresholds, including securing at least 25 per cent of votes cast in one state in a presidential election, or winning at least one elective seat at any level of government.

The plaintiffs are seeking declaratory orders compelling INEC to enforce constitutional thresholds, as well as mandatory and perpetual injunctions restraining the commission from recognising or giving effect to the political activities of the affected parties pending compliance.

They further argued that permitting such parties to participate in the 2027 general elections would clog ballot papers, waste public resources and undermine electoral integrity.