News
PDP Crisis: Stakeholders Demand Wike, Bauchi Gov Truce As Governors Meet Today
•Fubara’s camp wants Damagun kicked out as chairman, opposition govs converge on Asaba
Prominent leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, including the National Working Committee and National Executive Committee members, have waded into the rift between the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, and the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed.
While some called on both leaders to close ranks and rebuild the party ahead of the next election cycle in 2027, others argued that the rift between the two politicians was personal and as such, would have no impact on the fortunes of the party at the polls in two years’ time.
Last week, Wike through his media adviser, Lere Olayinka, chided the Bauchi governor for his opposition to the tax reform bills, which were transmitted to the National Assembly in the last quarter of 2024.
Returning the favour, the governor labelled the FCT minister a “transactional politician” whose habitual betrayal of his benefactors was well documented.
At Wednesday’s Board of Trustees meeting of the party in Abuja, the acting National Chairman of the party, Umar Damagum, and the BoT chairman, Adolphus Wabara, expressed disappointment at the multi-layered crises currently rocking the PDP and called on aggrieved members to sheathe their swords in the interest of the party.
Speaking exclusively with our reporter on Thursday, the National Organising Secretary of the party, Umar Bature, said the verbal war between the two leaders is personal and has nothing to do with the PDP.
When asked if the ongoing feud is capable of wrecking the boat of the PDP, Bature said, “I don’t think so. It is personal between them and has nothing to do with the party.”
Also speaking, a member of the party’s National Executive Council and Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, blamed the ruling APC for the rift within the party ranks, stressing that the fear of the fate which awaits the ruling party largely informs its fixation on the PDP.
He, however, called on the two warring PDP chieftains to let go of their differences and rebuild the party for future challenges.
Osadolor said, “No other political party outside the PDP, has a chance to defeat the ruling APC. This is why the APC is interested in fueling the crisis in the PDP. As statesmen and leaders, we urge them (Wike and Bala) to close ranks if not for their interest but in the overall interest of Nigerians.
“The two men (Wike and Bala) are senior members of the PDP. It is not in the best interest of the younger generation for them to continue to publicly attack themselves the way they are doing but we need to look at the issues. The issues are political.
“Wike is a senior member of the PDP who has paid his dues and is still paying his dues. Gov Bala Mohammed is an elder statesman and chairman of the PDP Governors Forum. But this is not the time to apportion blames.
“Being critical stakeholders and role models to many young ones, we must appeal to them to sheathe their words. For the interest of the PDP and Nigerians who believe in the party, they should close their ranks and help build a formidable party that will dislodge the APC in 2027.”
On claims by former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai urging the opposition to come together and give the APC a fight in 2027, Osadolor described the remark as encouraging, adding that the ex-governor was free to return to the party that first thrust him into national prominence.
He said, “We know that El-Rufai is used to verbosity at times. It was the PDP that exposed him to the national limelight. So, we are not particularly surprised that he is saying things seen by many as pro-PDP. What he said was not unexpected of him. If he wants to return to the PDP, he knows that the doors are wide open to him. He also knows that there is a seat waiting for him to come and sit on. Credible persons like El-Rufai will help not only to rebuild the PDP but also to rebuild the nation.
“He (El-Rufai) has shown time and again that with public office, he can deliver for the benefit of the people. He was able to showcase his worth because the PDP gave him the platform to do so. Since then, he has become a household name. It is only natural he comes back home,” he added.
Taking a different stand, another NEC member, Diran Odeyemi, disagreed with the notion that APC was responsible for the crisis in the PDP.
According to him, the indiscipline being witnessed in the party could have been avoided if sanctions were meted out against those who violated the PDP constitution by their actions in the past.
He said, “Only a bad workman blames his tools for a job badly done. We are the cause of our problems. We must stop blaming the APC for the crises in our party. Let me add that we know why these crises are lingering.
“To address these issues, we must admit that nobody is bigger than the PDP and nobody is above discipline. Anyone guilty of perpetrating anti-party activities should be sanctioned.”
Meanwhile, the party vowed to put an end to the lingering crisis in the party.
The Chairman of the PDP National Reconciliation Committee, Senator Olagunsoye Oyinlola, stated this during a meeting with the three PDP governors from the North East sub-region in Bauchi on Thursday.
The meeting brought together Senator Oyinlola and the governors of Bauchi, Adamawa and Taraba states.
Oyinlola emphasised the importance of reaching out to aggrieved party members and resolving internal conflicts to re-establish a formidable force that could ensure the PDP’s return to power.
While commending the three PDP governors for their efforts in strengthening the party, Senator Oyinlola urged them “to deepen the reconciliation process down to all stakeholders for sustainable growth and development.
“The main purpose of the committee is to reconcile and reunite party members, thereby positioning the PDP for victory in the next general elections.”
Speaking on behalf of the three PDP governors, Adamawa State Governor, Umaru Fintiri, described the activities of the committee as timely and expressed confidence that the party would bounce back to power.
He also criticised the APC-led Federal Government for inflicting hardship on Nigerians through its economic policies.
“Addressing the challenges facing the party, with the ultimate goal of regaining power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027 is timely“, Fintiri noted.
The Special Assistant to Rivers State Governor on Electronic Media, Jerry Omatsogunwa, said it was time the PDP kicked out its acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, was shown the way out.
Omatsogunwa said the party ought to obey the law, saying what happened at the party’s national secretariat on Wednesday was shameful.
He said this while speaking to one of our correspondents on the telephone on Thursday, saying disregard for the law was at the centre of the crisis in the main opposing party in the country.
Omatsogunwa also said Samuel Anyanwu, one of those laying claim to the National Secretary of the party, had no right to return after he left to contest for an elective position.
The media aide to Governor Siminalayi Fubara said since Damagum’s emergence as acting National Chairman, the PDP was losing more states.
He said, “For me the way forward is that the party is a creation of law or the constitution and if the law has said this person you have gone out to contest election and you don’t have any right to come back.
“I think that the law should be obeyed to the letter. It is this idea of self-help thinking that you can do something on your own in disregard for the law. That is where the problem comes in.”
He added, “The PDP as a law abiding party ought to have obeyed the court judgment that said Anyanwu is no longer the party secretary. Because if Anyanwu had gone to another High Court when the Appeal Court that is higher than the High Court had given judgment, I think that is an aberration.
“So if you have appealed at the Supreme Court and you need to do the needful, do it. Then at the end of the day if it favours you fine you come back. If it doesn’t favour you, you have lost at the Federal High Court, you have lost at the Appeal. So why still grandstanding?
“For peace to reign, I think Anyanwu needs to be kicked out so that peace can reign. But I also think that Damagun, who is the acting Chairman, needs to be thrown overboard like the Biblical Jonah because of too much trouble.
“You can be a witness that since he came in even some states that are ruled by the PDP have lost it. Same thing that happened to Oshiomhole and at a time Oshiomhole was kicked out of the APC.
“I think the PDP needs to do that as a way forward so that it can become the formidable opposition that it ought to be.”
A human rights lawyer and lead counsel for the Indigenous People of Biafra, Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has urged South-East residents to completely ignore what he described as a “fraudulent” sit-at-home order allegedly scheduled for Monday, February 2, 2026, by a faction of the group.
Recall that the pro-Biafran group, through its spokesman Emma Powerful, had directed a sit-at-home on February 2 across the region in solidarity with traders at the Onitsha Main Market.
Powerful said the total shutdown in Biafraland is a direct, peaceful, and unified response to the actions of Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, who ordered the closure of the Onitsha Main Market for one week.
But in a counter statement released on Saturday, Ejiofor said the source behind the directive, operating under the guise of “Emma Powerful,” has been compromised and is acting against the collective interest of Ndi-Igbo.
He insisted that IPOB has formally and decisively distanced itself from the false sit-at-home order and directed Ndi-Igbo to go about their lawful activities without fear.
The statement read in part: “Once again, the well-worn theatre of misinformation has opened its curtains, this time with a particularly lazy script and an insultingly predictable cast.
“Late yesterday, a report was widely circulated alleging that a total lockdown of Ala-Igbo had been ordered under the guise of a sit-at-home directive purportedly issued by ‘Emma Powerful,’ slated for Monday, February 2, 2026.
“Let it be stated clearly, unequivocally, and without ambiguity: this directive is fake, a phantom, a calculated falsehood.
“Upon careful inquiry and diligent verification, especially considering the delicate and hard-won calm presently returning to our homeland, it became glaringly obvious that the so-called ‘Emma Powerful’ platform has been fatally compromised.
“It has been hijacked by vested interests whose business model thrives on fear, disruption, extortion, and the cynical exploitation of vulnerable communities.
“The peaceful global movement of the IPOB has formally and decisively disowned this fabricated publication, categorically distancing itself from the false sit-at-home order and directing Ndi-Igbo to go about their lawful and normal activities without fear.
“Going forward, the message from IPOB is unmistakable: any publication attributed to ‘Emma Powerful’ should be treated with extreme suspicion, if not outright contempt.
“Frankly, one cannot but express astonishment, bordering on disbelief, that at such a critical juncture, when relative peace is cautiously resurfacing in Ala-Igbo, anyone would recklessly circulate information capable of reopening wounds and inviting criminal infiltration.
“History has taught us, at unbearable cost, what happens when fake directives fall into the hands of violent opportunists masquerading as enforcers.
“It is therefore no longer sufficient to merely advise our people to ‘ignore’ publications from this source. The time has come for greater clarity and firmness. The platform known as ‘Emma Powerful,’ in its current corrupted state, has positioned itself as an adversary to Ala-Igbo’s peace, progress, and collective well-being.”
According to Ejiofor, the peaceful global movement must go further by publicly and definitively explaining why this source has become unreliable, compromised, and hostile to the collective interest of Ndi-Igbo. Silence, ambiguity, or polite distancing, he said, only leaves room for further abuse.
“A masquerade that dances with fire should not be mistaken for a messenger of truth,” the statement concluded.
In recent operations across the North East, troops of the Joint Task Force Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) have neutralized scores of terrorists and recovered a significant cache of arms and ammunition.
Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, Media Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East) in a statement said intelligence has confirmed the killing of JULAIBIB, a top ISWAP commander operating within the Gujba axis of the Timbuktu Triangle, during an encounter around Kimba, Damboa LGA of Borno State, on 30 January 2026.
According to the statement, the elimination of the terrorist leader has thrown ISWAP elements in the area into disarray, with several fighters reportedly neutralised during the operation.
In a related operation, troops of OPHK, working in collaboration with the Civilian Joint Task Force, neutralised 3 terrorists during a well-coordinated ambush between Ngazalgana and Lamusheri communities in Borno State.
It said the operation followed credible intelligence on insurgent movements in the area, as troops laid an ambush along the identified route and engaged the terrorists with effective firepower, resulting in the neutralisation of 3 insurgents, while others fled with gunshot injuries.
The statement said troops recovered two AK-47, adding that the operation forms part of sustained efforts to deny terrorists freedom of movement and degrade their operational capabilities across the Theatre.
It said troops also recorded multiple successes in Adamawa State, adding that on 29 January, 2026, troops responded swiftly to a distress call from Barama community, Mubi North LGA, foiling an armed robbery attempt. Two armed robbery suspects attempting to attack a student of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, were arrested. One suspect sustained a gunshot wound to the thigh while attempting to confront the troops and was evacuated to the Federal Medical Centre, Mubi, for treatment.
The suspects were subsequently handed over to the Nigeria Police for further investigation. Items recovered include 3 cutlasses, 2 laptops, 4 mobile phones, and one power bank.
The Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State has affirmed the death sentences passed on five 2018 Offa robbery convicts.
The court dismissed their appeals as lacking merit.
The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) in the state, Mohammed Akande, who witnessed the proceedings, said that the three Appeal Court judges unanimously agreed on the judgement and affirmed the verdict of the state High Court condemning the five persons to death by hanging.
“The Court of Appeal, Ilorin Division comprising of Hon. Justice Ridwan Maiwada Abdullahi JCA, Hon. Justice Gabriel Kolawole JCA and Hon. Justice Abdul Dogo today, Friday affirmed the judgment of Hon. Justice H. A. Saleeman of the Kwara State High Court, that sentenced the Appellants: Niyi Ogundiran, Salawu Azeez, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Ayoade Akinnibosun and Adeola Abraham to death by hanging for the involvement in the Offa Bank Robbery”.
Another official of the Court also said that the appellate court rejected all the grounds of appeal filed by the convicts and ordered their immediate return to prison custody.
“The court dismissed all their grounds of appeal and upheld their convictions. They have been taken back to prison,” the official said.
The official said that the arguments raised at the Court of Appeal were unconvincing and may not succeed if repeated at the apex court.
It is recalled that Ayoade Akinnibosun, Azeez Salahudeen, Niyi Ogundiran, Ibikunle Ogunleye and Adeola Abraham were convicted of armed robbery, illegal possession of firearms and culpable homicide.
A sixth suspect, Michael Adikwu, a retired police officer, died in custody before the commencement of the trial.
At least 32 people were killed, including nine police officers, two of whom were women, making it one of the deadliest bank robberies in Nigeria’s history.
Justice Haleemah Saleeman of the Kwara State High Court had earlier sentenced the five convicts to death by hanging after a trial that lasted about six years and attracted nationwide attention.
In her judgment, which lasted over four hours, Justice Salman held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
She said the convicts “acted contrary to the law and allowed their connections with those in power at the time to lead them astray”.
In addition to the death sentence, the trial court also sentenced them to three years’ imprisonment for illegal possession of firearms, in line with provisions of Nigeria’s penal laws.
Lead prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), described the appellate court’s decision as thorough and well considered, despite the prolonged delays that characterised the trial.
On the defence side, Abdullah Jimba, counsel to one of the convicts, said that preparations were underway to pursue a final appeal at the Supreme Court.
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