Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The simmering leadership crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) exploded into the open on Thursday, May 14, 2026, as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and a key figure in the party's establishment, Nyesom Wike, launched a blistering attack on Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde. Wike dismissed reports of an alliance between the PDP and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) as a "Political 419," a term for advance‑fee fraud, and declared Makinde's presidential ambition, which he said underpins the coalition, dead on arrival. Speaking with journalists during an inspection of ongoing road projects in the Gomani‑Yangoji area of the Kwali Area Council in Abuja, Wike accused Makinde of misleading Nigerians with false insinuations of a coalition involving the PDP ahead of the 2027 elections.
Wike's broadside came just hours after Makinde had held a grandiose "unity mega rally" at the historic Mapo Hall in Ibadan, where he declared his intention to contest the presidency under the banner of the PDP-APM alliance. During that rally, Makinde, who is now the only PDP governor in the South‑West, also announced that the alliance would field candidates for all elective offices, from the presidency to state Houses of Assembly. "This is the time to confront our fears because if your mourning endures for a night, joy comes in the morning. We must engage," Makinde told the cheering crowd. But Wike was having none of it. "When I say people are fraudulent, they think I am joking. And that is the 419 we are talking about," the FCT minister declared, dismissing the entire narrative as contrived and deceptive.
Wike insisted that the PDP had not authorised any such alliance and that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was also unaware of any coalition arrangement. "There is no alliance between PDP and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) or any other political party, as the case may be. INEC also knows that there is nothing called a PDP-APM alliance," he said. The minister argued that ongoing internal party activities, including the screening of presidential aspirants, demonstrated that the PDP remained fully independent and had not entered any coalition. "PDP has presented a presidential candidate and watch out who will be submitted to INEC and see whether there's anything called PDP-APM," he challenged.
The minister pulled no punches when he turned his attention to Governor Makinde's personal ambition. He alleged that the Oyo governor was merely exploiting the APM platform as a vehicle to actualise a presidential bid that was doomed to fail. "What you have is Seyi Makinde joining APM to be able to actualise his presidential ambition, which is already dead on arrival," Wike stated emphatically. He further stressed that Makinde could not fly the flag of the PDP under any arrangement, saying, "We know that has been his game plan, and we would say he cannot fly the flag of PDP."
The Wike‑backed faction of the PDP, led by the Abdulrahman Mohammed National Working Committee (NWC), reinforced the minister's position in a separate press conference in Abuja. The party's National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, formally disowned the Ibadan alliance, stating that the PDP was not a party to any coalition with the APM. "Let us state clearly and unequivocally that the PDP is not part of any alliance, coalition, agreement, or political arrangement with the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) or any other political party regarding this gathering or any related political activity," he declared. He described the Mapo Hall rally as nothing more than a "public celebration of Governor Makinde's movement to the APM" and accused the Oyo governor of attempting to "camouflage his political intentions through false claims of alliances and consultations."
The faction also escalated the conflict by taking legal action against the leadership of the rival camp. National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu disclosed that the party had written to security agencies, including the police and the Department of State Services (DSS), to arrest and prosecute Senator Adolphus Wabara and Tanimu Turaki for impersonation. "We have written to the security agencies, the police, and the DSS on the issue of impersonation, and they have already invited Wabara, Turaki, and others who impersonate themselves at the Shehu Yar'adua Center, where the so-called interim NWC was formed," Anyanwu said.
The crisis traces its roots to a Supreme Court judgment delivered on April 30, 2026, which nullified the PDP national convention held in Ibadan in November 2025. The apex court held that the convention was conducted in disobedience to court orders. The ruling has created a vacuum, with two parallel leadership structures claiming legitimacy. The Makinde‑aligned camp, led by Turaki, has continued to operate an Interim National Working Committee, arguing that the Supreme Court's decision did not fully resolve the leadership issue. However, the Wike‑backed faction insists that the judgment has effectively affirmed its control over the party and that the Turaki‑led group is nothing but a collection of impostors.
The conflict has deepened existing divisions within the opposition. The Makinde‑led faction has not only defied the court ruling but has also actively been poaching lawmakers, with a gale of defections hitting the PDP in Oyo State as many elected office holders have dumped the party for the APM. These defections include key allies such as Shina Peller, who is the consensus candidate of Makinde’s PDP faction for the Oyo North Senatorial District. The dramatic escalation on Thursday, however, suggests that the Wike camp is not prepared to cede any ground. With the two factions now openly waging war, the PDP’s capacity to present a unified front for the 2027 elections is increasingly in doubt, handing a significant advantage to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
As the political fireworks continued, Wike was asked for his reaction to comments by Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara regarding his continued membership of the APC. The FCT minister appeared unfazed, dismissing any suggestion that Fubara was in crisis. "Sorry for what? Why are you saying problem when nobody has told you he has a problem?" Wike queried. "The man has told you he still remains APC. So what is the problem now?" He insisted that any issue within the APC was the ruling party's internal affair. "Ask me about PDP; I will answer you. Because how will you ask me whatever happens? Assuming he has a problem, it's their internal affairs," he concluded, focusing his fire squarely on the PDP-APM alliance.
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