The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has effectively recognised the National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Abdulrahman Mohammed and backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The recognition was signaled by the attendance of Mohammed, alongside the party’s Acting National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, at INEC’s first quarterly engagement with leaders of registered political parties. The meeting, reserved exclusively for national chairmen and national secretaries of recognised parties, underscores the commission’s formal acknowledgement of the faction.
This development aligns with a recent Federal High Court ruling directing INEC to recognise the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led National Caretaker Committee as the legitimate leadership of the PDP. The court order followed a prolonged leadership crisis within the party, during which multiple factions have claimed authority over its national structure.
INEC has consistently maintained that it will act in accordance with valid court directives when determining which faction of a political party it engages with on official matters. The presence of Mohammed and Anyanwu at the commission’s high-level meeting is therefore viewed as a clear indication of official recognition, pending any further judicial pronouncements.
