You’re not neutral, you’re fully with Wike – PDP chieftain tackles Saraki

Fresh controversy has erupted within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as Umar Sani, a party chieftain and former Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to ex-Vice President Namadi Sambo, accused former Senate President Bukola Saraki of siding with the faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

Sani made the allegation while reacting to Saraki’s recent appeal to party leaders to accept the Court of Appeal judgment nullifying the party’s national convention and move towards organising a fresh one in line with the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Speaking during an interview with Trust TV, Sani said Saraki’s position on the lingering leadership dispute in the party suggested that he was not acting as a neutral mediator.

According to him, although he holds the former Senate President in high regard, his comments on the crisis appeared to favour one faction.

“I have tremendous respect for Bukola Saraki and I am trying to avoid joining issues with him,” Sani said.

“But on this matter, I must tell you that he is not neutral. His advice is definitely not necessary and it is misplaced because he is fully with the Wike faction.”

The PDP stalwart further claimed that there were rumours circulating within the party that Saraki was working closely with allies of the FCT minister.

“Yes, he is even rumoured to be an agent for Wike selling lands in Abuja,” Sani alleged.

When reminded that the allegation was serious, he clarified that he was only repeating claims being discussed among party insiders.

“No, I’m not the one saying it. It is something which is within the room or milieu and I am sure he must have also heard it,” he added.

Sani also rejected Saraki’s suggestion that the PDP should avoid further litigation over the leadership tussle and instead focus on holding a fresh national convention within the electoral commission’s schedule.

He argued that the matter should be taken to the Supreme Court for a final and authoritative interpretation of the law.

“If we had started from the Federal High Court, what stops us from going to the Supreme Court?” Sani asked.

“It doesn’t matter. What is important is that the Supreme Court needs to take this matter into cognisance because it is the Supreme Court that laid out the basic rule.”

The latest exchange reflects the deepening divisions within the PDP, which has been embroiled in a prolonged leadership crisis that has split the party into rival factions.

One bloc is believed to be loyal to Wike, while another faction is aligned with Oyo State governor Seyi Makinde and other party leaders who insist that the PDP must remain a united opposition platform ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Opponents within the party have also accused the Wike-aligned group of working to support the re-election bid of President Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.

The current controversy followed Monday’s judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which upheld a ruling by the Federal High Court that nullified the PDP national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16 last year.

The convention had produced former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki, as the party’s national chairman.

However, the appellate court, in a decision delivered by a three-member panel headed by Justice Mohammed Danjuma, ruled that the convention was invalid because proper congresses were not conducted prior to the event.

The court also dismissed the argument by the Turaki-led faction that the dispute was an internal affair of the party beyond the jurisdiction of the courts.

Following the ruling, Saraki—who chairs the PDP reconciliation committee set up last year to help resolve the crisis—called on party leaders to accept the judgment and focus on rebuilding the party.

In a statement issued through Yusuph Olaniyonu, head of the Abubakar Bukola Saraki Media Office in Abuja, the former Senate President warned that prolonged litigation could undermine the party’s chances in future elections.

Saraki noted that waiting for a Supreme Court verdict could create uncertainty over the validity of candidates nominated on the PDP platform due to the electoral timetable.

He therefore urged party leaders to “bury the hatchet” and work towards organising an all-inclusive national convention that would comply with INEC guidelines.

Despite the appeal, however, divisions within the opposition party remain pronounced, with some members insisting that the legal battle over the disputed convention should be pursued to its conclusion at the Supreme Court.