As Turaki-led Faction Bows to Wike’s PDP

A recent revelation by the Tanimu Turaki-led Peoples Democratic Party that it was exploring peace options with the court-recognised PDP of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Nyesom Wike, is a strong indication that Turaki’s group has bowed to Wike’s camp, which is strongly backing the re-election of President Bola Tinubu. Ejiofor Alike reports that the implication is that the party will not pose a formidable threat to Tinubu’s second term ambition

An indication that the Tanimu Turaki-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is willing to bow to the supremacy of the party’s faction led by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, emerged on Wednesday when Turaki revealed that the factional leaders on both sides had broken the ice and were willing to make sacrifices.

Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, Turaki said the two sides were already exploring various pathways to a lasting resolution.

Though he insisted that the court cases on the leadership dispute would continue, the desire of his faction to make peace with Wike’s camp is evidence of surrender and acceptability of the authenticity of the minister’s camp.

Turaki appealed to both sides to immediately de-escalate high-tempered communications and actions, so as not to jeopardise the ongoing peace efforts.

He promised PDP’s aspirants that the party would field candidates for all positions in next year’s general election.

However, fielding candidates would be a mere formality because surrendering to Wike’s leadership means endorsing the re-election of President Bola Tinubu on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Wike, who is the chief promoter of the authentic faction, has never hidden his support for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

Indeed, his support for Tinubu against PDP’s Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 general election was the major factor that weakened the major opposition party and led to the victory of the APC in the presidential election.

Political analysts view Turaki’s comments on fielding candidates as face-saving.

Many believe a Wike-backed PDP can never field formidable candidates that will have the capacity to truncate APC’s victory in the 2027 presidential election. 

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, who is aligned with the Turaki’s faction last Sunday expressed the view that any PDP member engaging with the minister’s camp has effectively chosen to back President Tinubu’s second-term bid.

“We need Nigerians to judge. If you can be in their camp, where they promised to support the president, so be it.

“They have the government behind them. They have the judiciary behind them. They have INEC behind them. But we have the people behind us,” Makinde reportedly said.

Having failed in his several attempts to reclaim the leadership of the party from Wike’s grip through the courts, Turaki cited the Court of Appeal’s advice as an excuse for exploring peace options with the minister’s camp.

“In obedience to the advisory of the Court of Appeal, Ibadan, a few weeks ago, the parties in the suit should explore reconciliation to save the party from further strife and provide a platform for aspirants to seek elective offices in the coming elections,” Turaki said.

He admitted that the Adolphus Wabara-led Board of Trustees (BoT) of his faction had constituted a high-powered committee to interface with Wike’s group.

He also revealed that the NWC of his faction had issued a notice postponing the National Executive Committee (NEC) and National Caucus meetings earlier scheduled to be held two days later, as a demonstration of good faith.

Turaki noted that while his group expected a reciprocal gesture from the FCT minister’s camp, what it had witnessed instead was “the weaponisation of hurtful rhetoric and the issuance of derogatory statements.”

Turaki insisted that the cases in court would continue.

However, his faction’s  willingness to make sacrifices for peace indicate a loss of confidence in the ability of the camp to defeat Wike’s group at the Supreme Court.

Turaki said, “As soon as we reach agreeable terms, which we will honour even in the Court of Appeal, we will willingly withdraw all cases—whether at the Federal High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court, or elsewhere—to give peace a chance.

‘’All cases will give way for peace as soon as we reach that point,” Turaki reportedly said.

He said, “On the issue of compromise, we are willing to bend as far as our necks and backs allow. We are ready to make all sorts of sacrifices in the overall interest of the party.

‘’PDP will not die,” he added.

However, while Turaki’s camp expressed its willingness to make sacrifices and bend backwards, Wike has shrugged off the existence of the faction.

In what appears to be a non-acknowledgment of the existence of Turaki’s faction, the FCT minister insisted that the party remained united as it prepares for its national convention on March 29 and 30

Addressing journalists in Abuja last Wednesday, Wike said: “We have only one PDP, no faction. I don’t know which camp you are talking about. There is only one PDP. Some individuals may not be happy; yes, but there is no faction”.

The minister had earlier declared that his camp would negotiate from the position of strength.

Though he admitted that reconciliation efforts were still ongoing, he insisted that reconciliation should proceed alongside preparations for the national convention.

With Wike’s group holding all the aces, the camp appears unwilling to accept any power-sharing arrangement with the Turaki’s faction.

While the Turaki camp has suspended its NEC and National caucus meetings and was expecting Wike’s camp to suspend its national convention so that genuine reconciliation could be concluded for both parties to go into a national convention, the court-recognised PDP is insisting on organizing the convention to secure all the elective positions, leaving the Turaki’s group with no office in the party.

Also, despite the appeal by Turaki for the de-escalation of the combative communication on all fronts, the FCT minister had taken a dig at Makinde, mocking him for starting a war he could not win.

Wike spoke earlier on Monday at the NWC meeting of his PDP faction chaired by Abdulrahman Mohammed.

Wike said the Oyo State governor picked a fight he knew he cannot win, accusing him of escalating tensions within the party despite lacking the political leverage to prevail.

Also speaking, Mohammed announced that the national convention scheduled for March 29 and 30 would be held as scheduled despite what he described as an alleged plot by Makinde’s faction to halt the exercise.

Following the Wike’s group’s unwillingness to halt its National Convention, the Turaki group, on Friday, asked the Supreme Court to restrain the faction from holding the convention.

The uncompromising posture of the court-recognised camp showed that it would adopt a winner-takes-all position and not yield any ground to Turaki’s camp.

With Wike in effective control of the party, political analysts believe it can never present formidable candidates that have the capacity to defeat the APC in the 2027 general election.

Finally, many also believe that Turaki and his group will unwittingly end up promoting the electoral fortunes of the APC if they eventually join the authentic PDP with Wike as the de facto leader.