Wike-Backed PDP Tells Jonathan to Reject 2027 Convention Amid Party Crisis

The internal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has escalated, as the faction of the party led by Honourable Abdulrahman Mohammed has called on former President Goodluck Jonathan to publicly dissociate himself from attempts to link his name to a controversial 2027 presidential convention.

The development comes amid growing tensions between two rival leadership blocs within the opposition party, each laying claim to legitimacy ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The Abdulrahman Mohammed-led National Working Committee (NWC), which is currently recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), described the planned ratification of Jonathan by the rival Interim National Working Committee (INWC) headed by Dr Tanimu Turaki as a “charade” designed to create confusion within the polity.

The Turaki-led faction had scheduled a special convention for Saturday in Abuja to formally ratify Goodluck Jonathan as PDP’s 2027 presidential candidate, despite no official declaration from the former president indicating interest in the race.

According to the Mohammed-led faction, there is no public record showing that Jonathan purchased nomination forms, submitted himself for screening, or participated in any official process leading to his emergence as a candidate.

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Speaking through its National Publicity Secretary, Honourable Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, the faction insisted that the PDP had already concluded all valid primary elections in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 and INEC guidelines.

The party said the primaries covered governorship, state Houses of Assembly, National Assembly and presidential positions across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The faction had earlier announced former Senator Sandy Ojang Onor as its consensus presidential candidate after concluding what it described as duly conducted primaries.

In a strongly worded statement, the faction urged Jonathan to protect his political legacy by publicly rejecting the move.

It said the former president’s silence had continued to fuel speculation and deepen uncertainty over the leadership crisis within the party.

The statement read: “We respectfully call on former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to publicly dissociate himself from this charade in order to protect the integrity of the democratic process and preserve the credibility he earned while serving the nation.”

The dispute follows the April 30 Supreme Court judgment which invalidated the disputed Ibadan convention that produced the Turaki-led leadership structure.

Although the judgment was widely expected to settle the prolonged leadership tussle, both factions have continued to operate parallel structures while insisting they are the authentic leadership of the PDP.

The situation has been further complicated by the intervention of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who warned hotels and event centres in Abuja against hosting political activities organised by groups not officially recognised by INEC.

The warning was communicated through his media aide, Lere Olayinka, who directed facility owners to verify the legitimacy of political organisers before accepting bookings.

Despite the warning, the Turaki-led camp has vowed to proceed with the convention at the A-Class Event Centre in Wuse 2, Abuja.

Its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, described any attempt to stop the event as political intimidation and insisted all legal and contractual obligations had been fulfilled.

Political observers say the deepening PDP leadership crisis could significantly weaken the party’s chances of mounting a formidable challenge in the 2027 presidential election, especially as rival factions continue to battle for control.

The silence of Goodluck Jonathan on the matter has remained a major talking point, with many analysts insisting that a public clarification from the former president could help calm the escalating tension within the opposition party.

Wike-Backed PDP Tells Jonathan to Reject 2027 Convention Amid Party Crisis

‘Fix Oyo First’ – Presidency Tackles Makinde Over Attack on Tinubu

ABUJA, Nigeria – The Nigerian Presidency has fired back at Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde following his criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration regarding the proposed implementation of state police, telling the governor to “fix Oyo first” before lecturing the federal government on security matters. The presidency’s response was contained in a statement on Friday by the President’s Special Adviser on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, who accused Governor Makinde of using the federal government as a scapegoat to deflect from the rising insecurity and underfunding plaguing his own state. The exchange marks the latest escalation in a war of words between the Tinubu administration and the Oyo governor, who formally declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election just one day before his criticism of the President.

Recall that on Thursday, Governor Seyi Makinde urged the federal government to stop deceiving Nigerians over the creation of state police. He insisted that state governments already possess the power to establish their own policing structures through local legislation. Makinde made the assertions during the governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives, and House of Assembly primaries of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) held at the Watershed Celebration Centre in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. Addressing party members and delegates at the event, the governor reflected on the establishment of the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, across the South-west, describing the outfit as a fallback option after initial efforts to establish state police failed. According to him, the regional security outfit was created by South-west states through laws passed by their respective Houses of Assembly—a legislative process he argued could also be adopted for establishing full state police.

“Some people will know insecurity was one of the major pillars of this administration when we established Omitutun phase one and phase two, and it will remain a major pillar. Before this government’s emergence, there was nothing like Amotekun in Oyo State. We wanted state police. It was because we couldn’t get the state police that we established Amotekun as a stopgap. They should stop wasting Nigerians’ time,” Governor Makinde stated. “We know how we established Amotekun. The Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly is here. We passed a common law in the whole of the Southwest. The whole Houses of Assembly in all states in the Southwest passed the law, and that led to the creation of Amotekun. The only state that didn’t create Amotekun is Lagos State, and we know it is because their boss didn’t want Amotekun,” he said.

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Governor Makinde’s renewed call for state police comes in the wake of a major security crisis in Oyo State. On May 15, 2026, gunmen invaded three schools in Esiele Community, Oriire Local Government Area, abducting seven teachers and 39 students from Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School. During the attack, a mathematics teacher was beheaded by the gunmen, while a motorcyclist and a security personnel also lost their lives. The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, subsequently visited the affected communities and ordered intensified rescue operations.

Replying via a post on his X handle, presidential aide Dada Olusegun accused Governor Makinde of playing politics with the challenges of insecurity, describing his outburst as “a masterclass in deflection.” Olusegun wrote: “Gov. Seyi Makinde’s recent outburst accusing President Tinubu of ‘wasting time’ on State Police and claiming Lagos boycotted Amotekun for political points is just a masterclass in deflection. When a Governor is grappling with rising insecurity in his own state, the instinct to scapegoat the center is predictable.” He denied Makinde’s claim that Lagos boycotted Amotekun due to Tinubu’s influence, stating it is “entirely false,” adding that President Tinubu was himself “one of the voices that clamoured for a local security network to aid the federal efforts on Security.”

The presidential aide then turned his attention to the operational challenges facing Amotekun in Oyo State. “Makinde praises Amotekun as his glorious ‘stop-gap,’ yet the reality in Oyo is tragic underfunding. While Lagos mobilizes billions for the welfare and resources of all security apparatus in Lagos state, Oyo sends brave Amotekun operatives into forests with pump-action rifles to fight AK-47-wielding syndicates. Press conferences don’t buy ballistic vests.” Historical records show that in August 2020, the Oyo State Government approved N59.78 million as a takeoff grant for Amotekun. However, critics argue this initial funding has proven inadequate for sustained operations against heavily armed criminal gangs. In contrast, Lagos State has consistently allocated billions of naira annually to security infrastructure across various agencies.

Olusegun questioned Makinde’s capacity to manage a full-fledged state police given his perceived inability to adequately fund the regional security outfit. “If Gov. Makinde cannot adequately finance, equip, and manage his own regional vigilante group, how does he plan to shoulder the colossal financial burden of a full-fledged State Police? State policing requires forensic labs, armories, pensions, and unassailable funding, not just loud rhetoric.” He further emphasized that President Tinubu understands that constitutional security reform “requires meticulous legality and rigid economic frameworks, not rushed politics to distract from local failures.”

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Olusegun concluded his statement by directly challenging the Oyo governor: “Before lecturing the architect of Nigeria’s most successful security funding model, Gov. Makinde owes the people of Oyo State a duty of care. Elevate Amotekun from a poorly funded political prop into a tactically superior force. Until then, the lectures remain hollow. Fix Oyo first!!! “

The exchange comes against the backdrop of a major security crisis in Oyo State. The abducted principal of Community Grammar School, Alamu Folawe, made a fresh appeal from captivity, urging President Tinubu and Governor Makinde to pursue dialogue over force to secure the release of herself and other abductees. “We are in the cold, we are under the sun, we are under the rain, the children and the adults as well. Please, we are begging you, don’t let them waste our lives,” she said in a video that has since gone viral. President Tinubu had earlier condemned the attack and renewed his call for the establishment of state police, with security agencies stepping up efforts to rescue the victims. In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President said security agencies were stepping up efforts to rescue the victims and that the Inspector-General of Police was personally coordinating a technology-driven operation aimed at securing their release.

The latest verbal confrontation between the Presidency and Governor Makinde also carries significant political undertones. On May 14, 2026, just one day before the school abduction and two days before his APM primaries address, Makinde formally declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election under an alliance involving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM). At his declaration rally held at Mapo Hall, Ibadan, he launched the “Reset Nigeria Movement,” describing it as a platform for policy engagement, volunteer registration, grassroots coordination, and diaspora participation. Speaking at the rally, Makinde warned that Nigeria was drifting dangerously towards a one-party state, insisting that democracy itself was under threat if opposition forces failed to unite against what he described as systematic attempts to weaken alternative political voices. He declared, “Today, I, Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde, FNSE, announce my candidacy for the position of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under the PDP/APM alliance.”

The Oyo governor has been actively building opposition alliances, hosting a major opposition summit in Ibadan in April 2026 that brought together former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and several other opposition figures. With his declaration, Makinde joined Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amaechi, Peter Obi, and Adewole Adebayo among those expected to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election. This political context adds another layer to the ongoing war of words, as Makinde positions himself as a leading opposition figure while the Presidency seeks to portray him as a governor failing to address security challenges in his own state. The battle lines are increasingly drawn ahead of 2027, with security governance emerging as a central theme of the emerging political contest.

‘Fix Oyo First’ – Presidency Tackles Makinde Over Attack on Tinubu

Ganduje counters Kwankwaso, says political mentorship not a ‘master-boy’ relationship

Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has fired back at comments allegedly made by Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, insisting that political relationships should not be reduced to “master-boy” narratives.

Ganduje, who is currently performing the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, reacted through a statement issued on Friday by his Chief of Staff, Comrade Muhammad Garba, amid renewed political tension between the two former allies in Kano State.

The former Kano State governor described Kwankwaso’s alleged “political boy” remark as unnecessary and dismissive of the complex political history they shared, stressing that political success is often shaped by mentorship, strategic alliances and mutual support.

According to the statement, Ganduje played a significant role in Kwankwaso’s early political rise, particularly during the National Assembly elections that paved the way for Kwankwaso’s emergence as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives in the Second Republic era.

“At that time, Ganduje could confidently have referred to Kwankwaso as his political boy, having supported him morally, financially and stood by him during that period,” the statement said.

Ganduje further recalled that before both men attained greater political prominence, Kwankwaso frequently visited him while he served as a senior civil servant in the Federal Capital Territory and later as Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport in Kano State.

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The statement also revisited the 1998 governorship primaries in Kano, claiming Ganduje was widely believed by stakeholders to have won the contest before he was persuaded by party leaders to step down in the interest of unity and accept the deputy governorship slot alongside Kwankwaso.

Despite their subsequent political disagreements, Ganduje noted that both men worked closely between 1999 and 2003, and again from 2011 to 2015, describing those periods as productive years that delivered key developmental strides for Kano State.

The former APC chairman also referenced incumbent Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, noting that although he once served as Kwankwaso’s Personal Assistant, he is today the duly elected governor and deserves respect from all political actors.

“Politics should not be about who is superior to the other. A father can nurture a child who eventually becomes greater in status and influence. That is the natural progression of leadership and human relationships,” Ganduje was quoted as saying.

He warned against inflammatory political rhetoric capable of deepening divisions in Kano’s political landscape, urging leaders across party lines to focus on governance, peace and development rather than personal attacks.

The renewed exchange highlights the lingering political rivalry between Ganduje and Kwankwaso, whose once-close alliance collapsed after Ganduje succeeded Kwankwaso as governor in 2015.

Their fallout eventually birthed rival political blocs, with Kwankwaso leading the New Nigeria Peoples Party political movement, while Ganduje remained a prominent figure within the ruling APC.

Political observers believe the latest war of words signals renewed realignments ahead of future electoral contests in Kano, widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most politically strategic states.

Ganduje concluded by appealing to supporters of both camps to remain calm and avoid actions capable of escalating political tensions in the state.

Ganduje counters Kwankwaso, says political mentorship not a ‘master-boy’ relationship