The Peoples Democratic Party’s internal crisis intensified this week as the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) prepared to launch a series of high-stakes consultations aimed at stabilising the fractured opposition.

Beginning Wednesday, Turaki’s team will meet state chairmen, National Assembly caucuses, and other stakeholders at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, seeking to shore up unity and stem defections amid dueling leadership claims.

National Organising Secretary Theophilus Shan confirmed the schedule, noting that the engagements follow the November 16 Ibadan convention, which elected Turaki and 18 others for a four-year term. That outcome was endorsed by PDP governors but remains contested in court. On Wednesday, Turaki’s NWC will meet state chairmen, House of Representatives caucus members, and national ex-officio members, while also presenting a Certificate of Return to Ekiti governorship candidate Dr. Oluwole Oluyede ahead of the June 2026 poll. Further sessions are planned for December 16 with former governors, ex-ministers, and past NWC members, and December 17 with the Senate caucus.

Turaki is expected to reassure attendees of progress since Ibadan, outline repositioning strategies for the 2026 and 2027 elections, and address what allies describe as “undermining actions” by rivals. He will also chair an Osun Governorship Appeal Panel on Thursday, reviewing disputes from the party’s primaries.

The outreach comes as Nyesom Wike’s faction escalates its parallel claims. Led by Mohammed Abdulrahman and Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the group installed a 60-day caretaker committee on Sunday, defying the Ibadan convention. Though PDP governors facilitated a handover from acting chairman Umar Damagum to Turaki before his tenure expired on December 9, Wike’s bloc persists, sealing the Wadata Plaza secretariat with police to prevent clashes.

Boycotts loom over the meetings, with Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda and South-East caucus head Idu Igariwey—both Wike allies—denying they received invitations. Yet House caucus leader Fred Agbedi and Bauchi Rep Mansur Soro confirmed attendance, describing the process as “open to all.”

The schism traces back to the 2025 convention, where an Oyo High Court upheld the Ibadan outcome but Federal High Court injunctions twice halted proceedings over alleged constitutional breaches. Bauchi Governor Bala Mohammed leads the pro-Turaki bloc, while Wike heads the opposition. Recent expulsions targeted Wike, Ayodele Fayose, and others for “anti-party” activities.

Observers warn that the paralysis risks accelerating defections, with Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara rumored to be tilting toward the APC. As the meetings unfold, the PDP’s survival may hinge on whether reconciliation is achieved—or whether the rift deepens further, eroding its role as Nigeria’s main opposition force.