Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has issued a stern warning to financial institutions and property owners in Abuja, saying any bank that opens an account for the Kabiru Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, or any house that allows them to operate as a party headquarters will face immediate consequences. Wike made the declaration on Tuesday amid the deepening leadership crisis rocking the opposition party.
The FCT Minister accused the Turaki-led interim committee of operating illegally and in violation of the Electoral Act 2026. “Any bank that allows Turaki-led PDP to open an account for the sale of nomination forms will be in trouble. I will seal off any house that allows them to use it as the PDP headquarters,” Wike stated. He insisted that only the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led National Working Committee, backed by his faction, remains the legitimate leadership of the party.
The warning comes days after the Turaki-led interim National Executive Committee unveiled its 2026 primary timetable and fixed presidential nomination forms at N100 million, with governorship forms at N40 million. The faction, backed by Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde and Bauchi Governor Bala Mohammed, also scheduled the sale of forms for May 5–13, 2026, and a special convention for May 30 to ratify candidates for the 2027 elections.
Wike’s faction has dismissed the Turaki camp’s NEC meeting as an “unauthorized charade,” arguing that it failed to give INEC the mandatory 21-day notice required by law and was attended by individuals expelled at the ward level for anti-party activities. The Wike-backed Mohammed-led NWC had earlier commenced the sale of its own nomination forms on April 27, with the process set to close on May 7.
The PDP is currently split into two parallel structures, leaving supporters confused over which faction controls the 2027 primary process. The Turaki group claims legitimacy following a Supreme Court judgment that nullified the November 2025 Ibadan convention, while Wike insists the same ruling validated the Abuja convention and ended all factions. Both sides have proceeded to set separate dates for primaries and candidate ratification.
The standoff has already led to heightened tension at the PDP national secretariat in Wadata Plaza, Abuja, which was sealed off by police earlier this year following a confrontation between the rival camps. With both factions now moving ahead with nomination sales and candidate screenings, the party’s internal battle is threatening to spill into the courts and disrupt its preparations for the 2027 general elections.
