The internal crisis within the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has intensified as the faction led by Acting National Chairman Abdulrahman Mohammed appointed Senator Mao Ohabunwa as the new Chairman of its Board of Trustees (BoT).
This move is a direct challenge to the authority of the existing BoT, which is chaired by Senator Adolphus Wabara.
The Abdulrahman faction, which also named Isah Dansidi as the new BoT Secretary, stated that the previous BoT leadership was dissolved due to a perceived lack of neutrality in the ongoing internal party disputes.
The appointment further widens the rift within the PDP, signaling an escalating power struggle over the control and legitimacy of the party’s national leadership structure.
Speaking during the inauguration, Abdulrahman said the move is to restore true values to the party and regain public trust.
“We have come together not merely to inaugurate a new board of trustees but to renew our faith in the ideals that gave birth to this great political family — justice, fairness, inclusivity, and respect for the rule of law,” he said during the event at Nyesom Wike’s residence.
According to him, recent developments in the party, such as internal challenges and disputes, have set the party off from the very principles that formed it.
Abdulrahman noted that the previous board of trustees, led by Senator Adolphus Wabara, lost its moral balance, and that his suspension by the Abia State chapter of the PDP was a difficult but necessary step.
“We must also be honest with ourselves – the decay we are correcting today did not start yesterday. It began when we abandoned the principle of zoning before the 2015 elections. It began when we allowed ambition to override equity, and when we ignored the cries of reason from within our own ranks. The consequences of those decisions still haunt us today,” he said.
“I stand before you to assure every member of this great party that under this new leadership, the PDP will never again be held hostage by impunity, manipulation, or disregard for its own constitution.
“We will rebuild this party with transparency. We will respect court judgments and the rule of law. We will conduct our congresses with fairness and integrity. We will restore public trust and make the PDP once again the moral voice of Nigeria’s democracy.”
