Independent National Electoral Commission, on Friday, invited the two rival factions of the Peoples Democratic Party to a reconciliation meeting at its headquarters in Abuja.
The meeting, which is now ongoing, involves the factions led by Tanimu Turaki and the group backed by former Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike, headed by Abdulrahman Mohammed.
Turaki arrived with members of his National Working Committee, secretariat officials and former Niger State governor Babangida Aliyu.
On his side, Mohammed was in company with members of his national caretaker committee, including its Secretary, Senator Sam Anyanwu.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, while addressing the factions at the opening of the meeting, said the intervention became necessary following a series of conflicting correspondence received from the party.
Amupitan said, “This meeting has become necessary because we have received several correspondence from various sides requesting one thing or the other.
“And we are aware that INEC is charged statutorily under the Act and under the Constitution to monitor the activities of political parties.”
The INEC chairman noted that the intervention was also informed by preparations for the Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections scheduled for February 21, 2026, as well as the governorship polls in Ekiti and Osun states slated for June and July 2026 respectively.
He added, “And as a build-up to these elections, we have issued our own schedule of activities to all the political parties. And we are on course to ensure that we have a very smooth election at the area council of FCT and at Ekiti and Osun states.
“We have received conflicting correspondence from the PDP, and we felt that rubbing minds together would be a good opportunity for us to forge the way forward concerning the elections.
“And I’m happy that this morning we have the very top officials that are present here so that we can discuss as a family and see how the issues can be resolved and we move forward.”
Amupitan stressed that the commission’s actions were guided strictly by the Constitution, the Electoral Act and its internal regulations, assuring the factions of its neutrality.
He said, “So we are mindful of the need for us to maintain the sanctity of the Constitution of Nigeria. Actually, INEC sits on a tripod, comprising three legal regimes: the Constitution, the Electoral Act, and the regulations that have been made. So, we are determined to ensure that we follow the provisions of the various laws, the Constitution and the regulations that we have made.
“So without much ado, I want to welcome all of you, and I request that we should have very, very frank discussions to ensure that we can achieve the objective of this meeting.”
After the opening remarks by the INEC chairman, the meeting proceeded into a closed-door session.
The meeting is expected to come up with recommendations on resolving the PDP’s internal disputes ahead of the forthcoming elections.
