• Kwankwaso displays his ADC party membership card after registration.

Former Kano State governor and 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has officially joined the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

Kwankwaso registered as a member and received his party card on Monday at Gidan Kwankwasiyya, Miller Road, Bompai, Kano.

The event drew prominent political figures, including David Mark, Aminu Tambuwal, Rotimi Amaechi, Peter Obi, Dino Melaye, and John Odigie-Oyegun.

The ongoing leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a new turn, with one faction declaring that the Supreme Court will have the final say on the matter.

In a strongly worded press statement, the faction led by Comrade Ini Ememobong, National Publicity Secretary, expressed concern over recent developments within the party and reassured members that it has approached the apex court for a definitive resolution on the leadership dispute, particularly regarding what constitutes the party’s internal affairs.

The statement, issued on Monday, March 30, 2026, came amid heightened tension following a PDP national convention held over the weekend by a rival faction allegedly backed by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Ememobong described the gathering, tagged a “PDP convention,” as a “pre-Easter jamboree” organised by “APC sympathisers and members of Wike’s Autocratic Party.”

He accused the organisers of holding the event in contempt of the Court of Appeal, where parties had agreed on the next line of action, and noted that the validity of the convention is now before the courts.

“Furthermore, they were served with the processes of the appeal at the Supreme Court, as well as other suits challenging the holding of the said convention,” the statement added.

The faction also reacted to a fresh judgment delivered by the Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice Abdulmalik, which reportedly granted the rival group access to the PDP national secretariat and directed security agencies to protect them.

The group claimed it had earlier applied for the judge’s recusal on grounds of alleged bias.In response, Ememobong said the faction has instructed its lawyers to file an immediate appeal against the judgment.

The statement painted the crisis as part of a broader plot by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) government under President Bola Tinubu to weaken opposition parties and impose a one-party state on Nigeria.

“These crises are clearly orchestrated by the Bola Tinubu-led APC government, who have shown morbid fear for the existence of alternative political platforms,” it alleged, citing poor performance in security, the economy, and social welfare as reasons for the alleged desperation.

The faction urged PDP members and Nigerians to remain hopeful, stating that the Supreme Court now has a historic opportunity to uphold the Constitution and its previous decisions on the jurisdiction of courts in the internal affairs of political parties.

“We urge our members and all Nigerians to keep hope alive in the sincere expectation that the apex court will come to the rescue of multi-party democracy,” the statement concluded.

The PDP has been embroiled in a protracted leadership tussle involving different factions, with accusations and counter-accusations of external interference and disregard for court processes.

The matter is widely expected to be settled at the Supreme Court. Legal experts say the apex court’s eventual decision could have far-reaching implications for the party’s preparation towards future elections and the strength of opposition politics in Nigeria.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will field candidates in the 2027 general election, its National Leader and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, said last night.

He also said the party would reclaim mandates allegedly taken to other parties by defectors across the states of the federation.

Wike, who spoke at the party’s national convention in Abuja, said that the monitoring of the convention by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had further validated the leadership claim of the National Caretaker Committee led by Alhaji Abdulrahman Mohammed and paved the way for the party to participate in the elections.

“By the grace of God, PDP will be on the ballot in 2027,” he said, drawing applause from delegates from the 36 states and the FCT.

The National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who presented a report on the party’s activities over the past four years, said he remained the custodian of the party’s core property: its original certificate.

“The original certificate is with me,” he said.

( The Nation)