BREAKING: INEC Officially Recognizes Turaki as PDP National Chairman, Rejects Calls for Postponement
The electoral body rejected the correspondence outright, describing it as invalid and affirming that only letters originating from the recognized National Chairman and National Secretary of the PDP carry legitimacy.
Advertisements
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has formally recognized Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN) as the authentic National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), reinforcing the authority of the party’s newly constituted National Working Committee (NWC) amid escalating internal disputes.
In a decisive response, INEC also dismissed a request purportedly sent by expelled party figures Mohammed Abdulrahman and Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who claimed to be Acting National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively. The duo had written to the commission seeking a postponement of the November 8 governorship primaries in Ekiti State, citing alleged “logistics constraints.”
The electoral body rejected the correspondence outright, describing it as invalid and affirming that only letters originating from the recognized National Chairman and National Secretary of the PDP carry legitimacy.
Advertisements
According to INEC, the November 6 letter sent by Abdulrahman and Anyanwu had no legal weight, as both men had been suspended by the PDP on November 1 for various acts of misconduct. Their suspension, carried out under Sections 57(3), 58(1)(a)(b)(c)(h), and 59(1) of the PDP Constitution (2017 as amended), was later upheld at the party’s national convention.
At the November 15 national convention in Ibadan, party delegates overwhelmingly ratified Turaki’s election as National Chairman and confirmed the expulsion of Anyanwu, Abdulrahman, former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, and ex-Ekiti Governor Ayo Fayose. They were accused of running parallel structures, manipulating court processes, and engaging in anti-party activities aimed at destabilizing the PDP.
Advertisements
With INEC’s latest position, the commission has effectively closed the door on attempts by the expelled faction to interfere with the party’s internal processes, restoring clarity to the PDP’s leadership structure and paving the way for the Ekiti governorship primaries to proceed as scheduled.
