The majority of the NEC members supported the decision through voice votes.
The National Executive Committee (NEC) of a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has constituted a 13-member interim National Working Committee (NWC).
The NEC appointed Kabiru Turaki as acting chairman, while a former senator, Taofeeq Arapaja, was named secretary of the interim committee.
Other members of the committee are Hamza Koshe, Woyengikuro Daniel, Ihediwa Nnabugwu, Isa Abubakar, Okechukwu Daniel, Theophilus Shan, Ini Ememobong, Aribisala Idowu, Bara’u Shafi’i, Ogbu Chinenyenwa, and Umar Aji.
The decision was taken at the PDP faction’s 103rd NEC meeting convened by the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), led by Adolphus Wabara, at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja on Monday.
Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo State, was in attendance.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that a Supreme Court judgement last Thursday invalidated the faction of the NWC earlier led by Mr Turaki.
Following the judgement, the BoT assumed leadership, arguing that the ruling created a vacuum in the party’s leadership. On Sunday, the BoT met in Abuja and resolved to convene an emergency NEC meeting to address the situation.
However, the other PDP faction, backed by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, insists it remains the authentic PDP and continues to occupy the party’s headquarters. The electoral commission, INEC, also recognises the Wike-backed faction.
At Monday’s NEC meeting, Mr Wabara, a former Senate president, who announced the interim committee and read the names of its members, said the move was necessary to fill the leadership vacuum.
He subsequently put the decision to a vote, and the majority of the members supported it through voice votes.
Before the Supreme Court judgement, the Wabara-led BoT had been aligned with the Turaki-led NWC, which emerged from the party’s national convention held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, last November. The Supreme Court invalidated that convention and its outcome.
The interim committee was sworn in immediately after its composition was announced.
Mr Turaki, in his acceptance speech, commended the courage of the party’s BoT led by Mr Wabara, as well as Governor Makinde, who is the only remaining PDP governor.
He said the Ibadan convention, where he previously emerged as chairman, was conducted in a transparent, free and fair manner.
The interim chairman added that since the convention, the party under his leadership had struggled to remain functional despite the lingering leadership crisis.
“We fought hard to make sure that PDP remained afloat. We fought hard to make sure that PDP remained irreplaceable. We fought hard to make sure that PDP is alive. We fought hard to make sure that PDP retained the biggest and the leaders of all opposition elements in the country,” he said.
Mr Turaki, a senior lawyer and former special duties minister, acknowledged that serious tasks lie ahead but assured members that his team is prepared to deliver ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“I want to agree with one of our leaders who had made remarks in this extraordinary meeting that we have a serious task ahead of us. But I want to assure you, your excellency, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, that my team is equal to the task. I want to assure you that we wholeheartedly accept the challenges that this appointment offers to us,” he said.
Mr Turaki also assured that the interim committee would ensure the party fields candidates for all elective positions in the 2027 elections.
He urged party members to remain steadfast and resilient.
“We’ll work very hard not only to be on the ballot but to win all the elections that are coming our way very soon. I want to assure you, Your Excellency, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, that PDP shall field candidates for all elective offices. We’ll come up with a prepared candidate who will not only contest the 2027 election but will win through and win for Nigerians.
“In all these, I want to encourage us to remain steadfast and continue to remain resilient. It is not going to be easy. We have done it before, PDP has repeated it again, PDP will do it this time around.”
The legality of the interim NWC is likely to be contested, given the Supreme Court’s judgement nullifying the previous party leadership structure occupied by the same sect.
While the PDP constitution empowers the NEC to take decisions in the overall interest of the party, including filling leadership gaps, party members opposed to the move may argue that the appointment of an interim NWC, particularly one led by a figure whose earlier leadership was invalidated, runs contrary to the spirit of the court’s ruling.
The key issue will be whether the NEC acted within its constitutional powers or effectively attempted to circumvent the judgement by reconstituting a similar leadership under a different guise.
If challenged in court, the interim committee could face injunctions or further judicial interpretation that may either affirm its legitimacy or nullify its actions.
In the short term, the committee is expected to stabilise party structures, reconcile factions, and possibly organise a fresh national convention to produce a substantive NWC.
However, the risk of renewed litigation and internal resistance may shape how long the interim arrangement lasts and how effective it will be in repositioning the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
