PDP Factions Announce Meetings for Today as Makarfi Quits as Party’s BoT Secretary

Chuks Okocha in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna

A clash is imminent within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as factions of both the new executive led by Kabiru Turaki and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, have scheduled separate meetings at the party secretariat today.

This was as a former governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, has stepped down as Secretary of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of PDP, citing the need to uphold the party’s zoning principle.

However, the faction loyal to Wike has summoned an emergency meeting of the party’s BoT and the National Executive Committee for today, November 18, 2025.

According to the notices, both meetings are scheduled to take place at the NEC Hall of the PDP National Secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Abuja.

The notice indicated that the Board of Trustees meeting would commence at 11:00 a.m., followed by the NEC meeting at 2:00 p.m. It further stressed that “attendance is very important as crucial matters will be discussed and addressed.”

In the same vein, the newly elected Kabiru Turaki said his faction would hold an inaugural meeting also at the same party secretariat by 10 am

It was for this reason that Turaki requested police protection for himself and members of his NWC ahead of their inaugural meeting.

Turaki made the request during a visit to the FCT Police Command in Garki, Abuja, citing a conflicting notice of a National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting allegedly issued by former National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.

Turaki described the notice as an attempt to cause confusion, noting that it was slated for the same date, time and venue.

Speaking to journalists after meeting with the Commissioner of Police, Turaki said he was prepared to confront anyone attempting to disrupt Tuesday’s meeting.

“We came to interface with the FCT Commissioner of Police regarding our planned inaugural NWC meeting. We have invited our stakeholders, founding fathers, governors, National Assembly members, BoT members, state chairmen and other critical stakeholders,” he said.

He added that those issuing the parallel meeting notice were no longer members of the party, recalling that their expulsion was ratified at the recent National Convention in Ibadan.

“Our National Convention has taken a decision to expel these elements, and that decision overrides any taken by any organ of the party. We have reported their moves to the police because we do not want any breach of peace,” Turaki said.

Reaffirming the NWC’s readiness to take control of the party’s assets, Turaki disclosed that the inaugural meeting would hold at the Wadata Plaza headquarters.

“We are holding the meeting at our National Secretariat. Anyone sitting there without our consent is an interloper. We haven’t asked the police to lock up our offices. We will go there, have the offices opened and perform the functions for which we were elected,” he declared.

Reacting, Anyanwu said his group wrote a letter to the FCT Commissioner of Police on Sunday asking for Police protection, explaining that was why the Turaki group did the same thing.

‘’We will hold our NEC and BoT meetings as scheduled,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, Makarfi, in his resignation letter dated November 17 and addressed to the BoT Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, said his decision became necessary following the emergence of the new National Chairman of the party, Kabiru Turaki who, like him, hailed from the North-west.

Makarfi recalled that the latest development followed an earlier attempt to vacate the position about two months ago, when he tendered his resignation on the PDP BoT WhatsApp platform.

The move, according to him, was put on hold after Wabara and other BoT leaders persuaded him to remain in office pending the conclusion of the party’s national convention.

“You may recall that about two months ago, I had resigned as Secretary of the Board and posted same on the Board’s WhatsApp platform. Mr. Chairman, you may recall that you personally urged me to stay on until after a convention that produced a Chairman,” the letter reads.

Reaffirming his long-held position on the party’s internal balance of power, Makarfi maintained that it was inappropriate for both the National Chairman and the BoT Secretary to emerge from the same geopolitical zone.

“The principal reason for my resignation then and now was, and is still, my belief that the National Chairman of the party and the Secretary should not come from the same geopolitical zone.

“Now that a Chairman has emerged from the North West, where I come from, it is necessary to give him full space to do the needful,” he said.

He added that his withdrawal from the position was aimed at reinforcing fairness and preventing any impression of imbalance within the party’s leadership configuration.

“Accordingly, I hereby formally resign as Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party with effect from today, November 17th, 2025.

“I truly appreciate the very respectful relationship between us during my period as Secretary. I also appreciate all board members for their support and good relationship that prevailed during my period as Secretary,” he said.