The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday intervened in the leadership tussle rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), summoning the party’s rival factions to its headquarters in Abuja.
The meeting brought together the side led by Tanimu Turaki and the group led by Abdulrahman Mohammed, who is supported by Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
Turaki attended the meeting with members of his National Working Committee, secretariat personnel, and former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, whereas Mohammed was accompanied by members of his national caretaker committee, including its secretary, Senator Sam Anyanwu.
Speaking at the start of the meeting, INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan stated that the intervention was necessary due to a series of inconsistent correspondence received from the party.
“This meeting has become necessary because we have received several correspondences from various sides requesting one thing or the other.
“And we are aware that INEC is charged statutorily under the Act and under the Constitution to monitor the activities of political parties,” he said.
He stated that the intervention was also informed by preparations for the Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections on February 21, 2026, as well as governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states in June and July 2026, respectively.
“And as a build-up to these elections, we have issued our own schedule of activities to all the political parties. And we are on course to ensure that we have a very smooth election at the area council of FCT and at Ekiti and Osun states.
“We have received conflicting correspondence from the PDP, and we felt that rubbing minds together would be a good opportunity for us to forge the way forward concerning the elections.
“And I’m happy that this morning we have the very top officials that are present here so that we can discuss as a family and see how the issues can be resolved and we can move forward,” he said.
The INEC boss emphasized that the commission’s actions were guided strictly by the Constitution, the Electoral Act, and its internal regulations, assuring the factions of its neutrality.
“So we are mindful of the need for us to maintain the sanctity of the Constitution of Nigeria. Actually, INEC sits on a tripod, comprising three legal regimes: the Constitution, the Electoral Act, and the regulations that have been made. So, we are determined to ensure that we follow the provisions of the various laws, the Constitution, and the regulations that we have made.
“So without much ado, I want to welcome all of you, and I request that we should have very, very frank discussions to ensure that we can achieve the objective of this meeting,” he said.
Following the opening comments, the meeting went into closed-door session.
The gathering is intended to produce proposals for addressing the PDP’s internal problems ahead of the elections.
