Governors in the Peoples Democratic Party have rejected the consensus selection of a national chairman and national secretary put forward by a faction aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, signalling a widening rift within the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The disagreement stems from a prolonged leadership crisis within the PDP that has seen the party divide into rival camps over control of its national structures.

One camp, backed by Wike, has proposed consensus candidates for key leadership positions, while the other camp, supported by a group of governors and the Turaki‑aligned National Working Committee, has rejected these moves.

Sources close to the governors’ faction said they plan to pursue legal avenues to challenge the consensus process and address what they describe as irregularities in how the candidates were selected.

The Wike‑aligned National Caretaker Committee proposed Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary and Abdulrahman Mohammed as National Chairman of the PDP ahead of the party’s national convention scheduled for March 29–30.

However, PDP governors, including key figures such as Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, have rejected the consensus nominations.

A governor aligned with the Turaki faction, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they intend to review legal options to contest the process.

The party’s crisis was further compounded by judicial decisions.

A Court of Appeal panel, led by Justice Mohammed Danjuma, upheld a Federal High Court ruling that the Ibadan national convention that elected Turaki and other officials breached provisions of the Electoral Act, the Constitution of Nigeria and the PDP constitution.

The court declared the convention null and void, effectively invalidating Turaki’s election and other positions elected at that meeting.

In a related judgment, another Court of Appeal panel led by Justice Biobele Georgewill gave all parties involved a chance to pursue an amicable settlement of their disputes.

In the lead‑up to the current impasse, reconciliation efforts appeared underway between the rival factions.

A source within the governors’ camp said those efforts broke down when the Wike‑aligned group insisted on consensus candidates and required that party members purchase nomination forms to participate in the convention.

The source said the process was viewed by the governors’ faction as inconsistent with earlier discussions aimed at uniting party leadership.

Insiders close to the Wike faction said all geopolitical zones agreed on consensus candidates for various National Working Committee positions.

In addition to Mohammed and Anyanwu for chairman and secretary, other zonal positions were allocated across regions.

A source who attended the North‑Central caucus meeting said the zone agreed on acting National Chairman Abdulrahman Mohammed as their consensus candidate, with considerations including performance in his acting role.

The source also said decisions factored in regional and religious balance, with the North‑Central zone allocating the National Chairman slot to a Muslim candidate given the Secretary position was zoned to the South‑East.

When contacted, the Wike‑aligned PDP Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, did not confirm or deny specific reports about the consensus list.

He described consensus as a means of bringing stakeholders together without the resource demands and animosity of competitive elections, and said the party leadership was justified in adopting that approach.

In a separate development, former presidential candidate Gbenga Olawepo‑Hashim cautioned against holding a factional convention, warning it could further fracture the party.

He called on both factions to honour earlier agreements and avoid actions that could undermine state party executives, particularly in Plateau, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Kano states.

Olawepo‑Hashim said reconciliation remains essential and urged party leaders to return to negotiations and conclude work on a unified leadership structure.

He noted that the national convention could serve as an opportunity to heal divisions and reaffirm unity within the PDP.