The fragile peace currently being brokered within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been dealt a staggering blow following a dramatic legal escalation involving the factional National Chairman, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN.
On Thursday, a fresh crisis erupted when a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) issued a bench warrant for the immediate arrest of the learned silk. This development follows a protracted history of what the court has characterised as a deliberate flouting of judicial orders.
The bench warrant, issued by Justice Kekemeke, follows an earlier incident on 28th January 2026, wherein Mr Turaki was reported to have disregarded a court order in Charge No: FCT/HC/CR/647/2025. During previous proceedings before Justice Ogbonnaya at the Zuba division, the factional chairman had controversially accused the presiding judge of bias, a move the prosecution described as a calculated attempt to obstruct the course of justice.
Despite the subsequent transfer of the matter to FCT High Court No. 4, Mr Turaki’s failure to appear before the new presiding judge to answer the charges has prompted the court to slam him with the arrest order. Legal observers have noted the irony of such institutional disrespect originating from a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, whose professional calling is the preservation of the temple of justice.
This judicial setback occurred a mere few hours after the PDP had issued optimistic statements suggesting a de-escalation of the war of attrition between camps loyal to Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, and the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday, Mr Turaki himself had confirmed that the National Working Committee (NWC) had initiated dialogue to “break the ice,” following an intervention by the Board of Trustees (BoT) led by Senator Adolphus Wabara.
“In obedience to the advisory of the Court of Appeal, Ibadan, the Board of Trustees constituted a high-powered committee to interface with our estranged party members,” Turaki had stated, prior to the issuance of the warrant for his arrest.
The party had recently shown signs of recalibration, postponing meetings of the National Executive Committee (NEC) as a gesture of good faith. Turaki had even expressed a willingness to withdraw all active litigation spanning the Federal High Court to the Supreme Court should a political settlement be reached.
“We are willing to bend as far as our necks and backs allow… PDP will not die,” he had asserted, while reassuring aspirants that the party remained committed to fielding candidates for all elective offices in 2027.
In a move to steady the ship, the Turaki-led NWC had passed a vote of confidence in Governors Seyi Makinde and Bala Mohammed for their roles in navigating the crisis. Furthermore, Turaki hinted at a “flushing out” of internal elements who were purportedly sabotaging the reconciliation process from within.
However, with the factional chairman now a wanted man in the eyes of the law, the “recurrent rhetoric of unity” is being overshadowed by the “realities of the dock.” Whether this latest legal entanglement will serve as the final wedge to splinter the party or act as a catalyst for a more desperate political compromise remains to be seen.
As the road to 2027 narrows, the PDP Nigeria’s oldest surviving legacy party finds itself once again at a crossroads: choosing between the stability of the rule of law and the volatility of internal power plays.
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