The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepened on Monday as a faction of the party loyal to Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, announced the constitution of an Interim National Working Committee (NWC) and challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise its legitimacy.

The faction, which convened what it described as the 103rd National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja, appointed former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, as Chairman, with former Oyo State Deputy Governor, Taofeek Arapaja, emerging as Secretary of the interim body.

The meeting, said to have been attended by two-thirds of NEC members, was presided over by Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Adolphus Wabara, who acted as protem chairman.

The development comes amid lingering disputes over the leadership of the opposition party following a recent Supreme Court judgment that nullified the previous convention which produced the Kabiru Turaki-led National Working Committee.

Addressing party faithful at the meeting, Makinde described the situation within the PDP as one of its “darkest moments,” accusing unnamed actors of unlawfully occupying the party’s national secretariat and Legacy House.

“Usurpers have taken over our offices; they are not supposed to be there,” he said, while urging members not to lose hope, insisting that the party possessed the capacity to overcome its challenges.

The governor likened the current political climate to a survival contest, assuring that his camp would give full backing to the newly inaugurated interim leadership. He also called on INEC to “redeem its image” by acting in accordance with the party’s constitution.

Makinde, who fielded questions from journalists after the meeting, maintained that the interim NWC was legally constituted, stressing that the gathering met the constitutional requirement of a two-thirds NEC quorum.

“We are in an unusual situation democratically in Nigeria, but we will not give up. This is a battle for democracy and plurality in Nigeria’s political space,” he said.

On concerns raised by rival factions questioning the legality of the committee, Makinde argued that no certified true copy of the Supreme Court judgment had been made public, expressing surprise at INEC’s alleged actions based on what he described as unverified information.

“It is concerning that a national institution would act without sighting the judgment. That is not how a professionally run organisation should operate,” he added.

Earlier in his remarks, Wabara said the BoT stepped in to assume administrative leadership of the party to prevent a vacuum after the apex court invalidated the 2025 national convention and dissolved the NWC that emerged from it.

He noted that the NEC meeting was convened in line with the PDP constitution and aimed at stabilising the party and charting a new course ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Wabara also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to weaken the PDP through alleged collaboration with “suspended members” and external institutions, insisting that the party would overcome the crisis.

In his acceptance speech, Turaki pledged that the PDP would field candidates in all elective positions in 2027, promising to work towards unity, reconciliation and rebuilding the party’s structures.

The NEC also ratified the inclusion of members of the previously nullified Ibadan convention NWC into the interim arrangement, a move that is likely to further intensify the leadership tussle within the party.