The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction in Bauchi State loyal to Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has dismissed reports that its members have defected to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
The faction described the reports as misleading and accused individuals it said were impersonating PDP officials of attempting to create confusion ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The party’s Legal Adviser in Bauchi, Barrister Yahaya Garkuwa, made the clarification during a press conference at the PDP secretariat along Maiduguri Bypass in Bauchi.
Garkuwa maintained that the PDP structure recognised by the faction remains led by Ibrahim Kashim Toro in Bauchi, while Abdulrahman Mohammed heads the national leadership.
He said the prolonged leadership crisis within the PDP had been subjected to several rounds of litigation, claiming that successive court decisions had affirmed the leadership structure supported by his faction.
According to him, the Federal High Court recognised the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led caretaker committee as the legitimate national leadership of the party. He said the decision was challenged by the faction associated with Tanimu Turaki, but the Court of Appeal upheld the lower court’s position and affirmed Mohammed’s leadership at the national level and Toro’s position in Bauchi.
Garkuwa further said the dispute eventually reached the Supreme Court after another appeal by the opposing faction. He argued that the outcome strengthened his faction’s claim to the recognised PDP structure.
He alleged that following the court proceedings, members of the rival camp began presenting themselves as PDP officials and circulating information suggesting that the party had collapsed into the APM.
The legal adviser described the latest defection claim as an attempt to mislead party members and the wider public.
He insisted that members of the PDP structure he represents had neither defected from the party nor reached any agreement to join another political organisation.
Garkuwa also said the Bauchi PDP leadership was considering legal action against individuals allegedly presenting themselves as authorised party officials.
He challenged those behind the reported move to the APM to identify the candidates they had produced under the PDP platform for the 2027 elections.
The legal adviser assured PDP supporters that the party remained active in Bauchi and was preparing to participate in the 2027 general elections.
He said the party was not collapsing into another political organisation and maintained that its structure remained intact and capable of contesting the forthcoming elections.
The briefing was attended by the state party chairman, other officials, stakeholders and supporters.
Garkuwa also announced that the faction had produced Usman Adamu Ahmed Suphi as its candidate for the 2027 Bauchi State governorship election, with Abdulkadir Aliyu Bababa as his running mate.
He further highlighted the PDP’s record in government and expressed confidence that the party’s candidates would be able to compete effectively in the 2027 elections.
