Abuja, Nigeria — Nigeria’s Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed plans by a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party to challenge a Court of Appeal ruling at the Supreme Court, describing the move as baseless and incapable of affecting the party’s national convention.
Wike spoke on Friday night after inspecting the Velodrome at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, where the Peoples Democratic Party national convention is scheduled for Sunday, March 29, 2026 and Monday, March 30, 2026.
The faction led by Tanimu Turaki had earlier announced that its National Executive Committee unanimously endorsed a decision by the party’s National Working Committee to appeal the appellate court judgment concerning the party’s leadership.
Responding, Wike said the planned appeal would not disrupt preparations for the convention. Okay News reports that the minister also stressed that reconciliation efforts would continue after the gathering.
“I have always said that in any group, there will be grievances. You cannot expect that in a family of two or three people, everyone will always be satisfied, let alone a party with millions of members.
“There will always be a few who are not happy. We have agreed to sit down with them, understand their concerns and see how we can accommodate them. What is most important is the overall interest of the party,” he said.
Wike expressed confidence in the strength of the opposition party ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
“PDP is a very large party. Look at the umbrella; it is wide enough to accommodate everyone,” he said.
He also confirmed that party positions had already been zoned across Nigeria’s geopolitical regions to ensure balance.
“We have already zoned our positions. Every zone has its own slots. The presidency has been zoned to the South, while the chairmanship is zoned to the North.
“We believe this consensus arrangement will make the process easier.
“For the first time, PDP is presenting a unified front, rather than the usual ‘unity list’ that often reflects internal divisions,” he said.
The minister added that preparations for the convention were nearly complete after his inspection visit.
“Seating arrangements for all states have been completed and the VIP section is ready,” Wike said.
He was accompanied by Chairman of the National Convention Planning Committee and former Governor of Abia State, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu; Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Board of Trustees, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa; and Chairman of the National Caretaker Working Committee, Mohammed Abdulrahman, among other party officials.
The national convention is expected to address leadership issues and shape the party’s strategy ahead of Nigeria’s next general elections scheduled for 2027.
