The internal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took a dramatic turn on Monday as the faction loyal to Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, announced the appointment of Kabiru Turaki as the chairman of its interim National Working Committee (NWC).
The decision was reached during the group’s 103rd National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held in Abuja.
Turaki, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former Minister of Special Duties, has been tasked with leading a 13-member interim team to steer the affairs of this wing of the party.
This latest move comes on the heels of a significant judicial blow to the faction. Only last Thursday, the Supreme Court nullified the results of the national convention held in Ibadan last November.
That convention had initially seen Turaki emerge as the substantive national chairman, but the apex court’s ruling effectively stripped him and other national officers of their legal recognition.
In a bid to maintain its structure despite the court’s verdict, the Makinde-led bloc invoked Section 31 of the PDP Constitution. By securing the signatures of two-thirds of their NEC members, the group moved to establish this interim committee.
The meeting, which commenced at 2:00 pm on Monday, saw the attendance of several high-profile stakeholders, including state governors, members of the National Assembly caucus, and representatives from the Board of Trustees (BoT) who remain aligned with the Oyo governor.
More details to follow…
