The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has plunged deeper into turmoil following its disputed national convention held between November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, despite a flurry of restraining court orders.

Instead of healing long-standing rifts, the convention worsened the party’s internal fractures, leaving its structure more fragile and its future more uncertain. Party stakeholders described the exercise as the defining moment that pushed the PDP to the brink.

Governors Left in Political Limbo

The festering crisis has left several first-term PDP governors stranded, unable to rely on the platform that brought them to office in 2023. Governors Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara) and Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers) now face a bleak path to their 2027 re-election bids.

Attempts by Adeleke and Mutfwang to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were blocked by party leaders in their respective states, leaving them with no clear political direction.

For many of the governors, the PDP appears irretrievably broken as an electoral vehicle.

Mass Defections Signal Trouble

Sensing the PDP’s internal drift, five governors—Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Douye Diri (Bayelsa) and Agbu Kefas (Taraba)—have defected to the APC in the last seven months. President Bola Tinubu recently likened their exit to “bailing out of a sinking ship”.

Convention Without INEC: A Nullity

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) boycotted the convention, dealing a major blow to its legitimacy. All decisions taken at the convention—including the purported emergence of Kabiru Turaki as “national chairman”—may be invalid.

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, first halted the convention over the PDP’s failure to meet statutory requirements. Another judge, Justice Peter Lifu, issued a similar order following a suit by former Jigawa Governor Sule Lamido, who was denied nomination forms to contest the chairmanship.

Despite the legal hurdles, the convention proceeded, alienating several stakeholders.

More Divisions Emerge

The suspension of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and his allies escalated tensions and widened the party’s fault lines. Several PDP governors boycotted the convention altogether, including Adeleke, Kefas and Fubara.

The inability of the party to manage its internal contradictions has raised serious questions about its viability ahead of the 2027 elections.