PDP crisis: Makinde-led faction appoints Turaki As interim chairman

By Sodiq Adelakun

The crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepened on Monday as the faction aligned with Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, announced the appointment of Kabiru Turaki (SAN), former Minister of Special Duties, as the Interim Chairman of its National Working Committee (NWC).

The decision was taken during the faction’s 103rd National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held in Abuja, where key stakeholders of the bloc converged to deliberate on the future direction of the party’s leadership structure.

Turaki, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a former cabinet minister, was mandated to head a 13-member interim leadership team tasked with managing the affairs of the faction pending further political and legal developments within the party.

The development comes in the wake of a major judicial setback suffered by the faction last week. The Supreme Court had nullified the outcome of the PDP national convention held in Ibadan in November 2025, a decision that effectively invalidated the emergence of Turaki and other national officers previously elected at the convention.

The apex court ruling stripped the affected officials of legal recognition, thereby creating a fresh leadership vacuum within the faction of the party loyal to Governor Makinde.

In response to the ruling, the group moved to stabilise its structure by invoking Section 31 of the PDP Constitution. The faction reportedly secured the endorsement of two-thirds of its NEC members to constitutionally justify the formation of an interim leadership body.

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The NEC meeting, which commenced around 2:00 pm, was attended by several prominent figures within the faction, including supportive state governors, members of the National Assembly caucus, and representatives of the Board of Trustees (BoT) aligned with the Makinde bloc.

Party insiders described the appointment as a strategic move aimed at preventing further disintegration of the faction and ensuring continuity in party administration despite ongoing legal and political turbulence.

As of the time of filing this report, the faction has not yet announced the full list of members of the 13-man interim National Working Committee, but further details are expected in the coming days as consultations continue.