Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are considering a return to the reconciliation model earlier proposed by Bukola Saraki to resolve the crisis polarising the party.
Party sources said the renewed interest followed a letter from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declining to recognise the Tanimu Turaki-led national working committee (NWC).
In a letter dated December 22 and made public on Tuesday, INEC told the party’s lawyers, Akintayo Balogun & Co, that it could not recognise the Turaki-led NWC because the matter remains sub judice.
The commission said it could not take any administrative action that might pre-empt the outcome of the ongoing legal proceedings.
The Turaki-led NWC is backed by Governors Seyi Makinde and Bala Mohammed of Oyo and Bauchi states respectively.
The November convention that produced a new set of national officers followed conflicting court rulings from federal high courts in Abuja and an Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan.
While the Abuja courts restrained the PDP from holding the convention over alleged breaches of its constitution and the Electoral Act, the Ibadan court cleared the party to proceed and directed INEC to monitor the exercise.
A rival faction opposed to the Ibadan convention, led by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, later announced a parallel national working committee, board of trustees and national executive committee.
INEC had summoned both factions last week to a roundtable meeting aimed at resolving the division, particularly ahead of preparations for the 2026 FCT area council elections.
Sources said PDP leaders are increasingly wary of allowing the dispute to be resolved solely by the courts, fearing that judicial outcomes could deepen the crisis by producing clear winners and losers.
“The next move is to return to the Saraki formula. As the former governor of Kwara State advised, we should not wait for the courts to deliver judgments in any of the cases, as that will only worsen the situation,” a source said.
“We are engaging among ourselves and discussing ways to resolve the disagreements. That is the direction the leaders are heading, and we have learnt that Saraki and some others are already making efforts to bring the party together,” the source added.
Saraki, who previously chaired the party’s reconciliation committee, had warned against prolonged litigation, saying it could stall the PDP’s progress and weaken its unity.
He also cautioned party leaders against factionalisation, noting that it would only benefit the party’s opponents.
Saraki urged the PDP to work towards an all-inclusive national convention rather than the fractured exercise held in Ibadan.
He said such a convention could resolve outstanding issues, review the party’s constitution and chart a clear path forward.
