LAGOS, Nigeria(VOICE OF NAIJA)- The internal turmoil within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) intensified on Friday after a faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, announced the dissolution of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) and appointed Senator Mao Ohuabunwa as the new chairman.
The move marks a major escalation in the ongoing battle for control of the main opposition party, which has been sharply divided between factions loyal to the acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
While most members of the National Working Committee (NWC) have continued to back Damagum’s leadership, Anyanwu and four other top officials recently declared Alhaji Abdulrahman Muhammed as their factional national chairman — creating parallel leadership structures within the PDP.
The latest development followed a meeting held on Friday at the Abuja residence of the FCT Minister, where members of the Abdulrahman faction resolved to disband the BoT led by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara. The faction accused Wabara of losing his moral authority and political neutrality to continue leading the party’s highest advisory organ.
READ ALSO:Anyanwu Alleges Signature Forgery As PDP Crisis Worsens
In his place, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa was named the new BoT chairman, while Isah Dansidi was appointed to replace Senator Ahmed Makarfi as secretary.
Reading the communiqué of the reconstituted BoT, Ohuabunwa said the leadership overhaul had become necessary due to what he described as the “erosion of neutrality” by the previous board.
“The shakeup became inevitable following the compromise of objectivity and moral authority under the former leadership,” he stated.
The development came just days after Wabara’s BoT convened a meeting where a six-man reconciliation committee was formed to engage critical stakeholders and find solutions to the deepening crisis.
However, reacting to that effort, Senator Anyanwu dismissed the meeting as “a gathering of friends and associates,” arguing that many of those in attendance were not genuine members of the BoT.
With Friday’s announcement, the Wike-backed bloc appears to have consolidated its position within the PDP, signaling a further widening of the rift that continues to threaten the unity and future of the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.