By Obinna Uballa
Umar Sani, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to ex-Vice President Namadi Sambo, has alleged that former Senate President Bukola Saraki may be aligned with the Nyesom Wike faction amid the lingering crisis rocking the opposition party.
Sani made the claim while reacting to Saraki’s recent call for party leaders to accept a Court of Appeal judgment voiding the party’s national convention and work towards organising a fresh one in line with the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Speaking in an interview with Trust TV on Thursday, Sani said Saraki’s intervention in the dispute was not neutral and appeared to favour one side of the divide.
“I have tremendous respect for Bukola Saraki and I am trying to avoid joining issues with him,” Sani said.
“But on this matter I must tell you that he is not neutral. His advice is definitely not necessary and it is misplaced because he is fully with the Wike faction.”
When pressed to clarify his claim, Sani said there had been rumours within party circles alleging that the former Kwara State governor was working with allies of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
“Yes, he is even rumoured to be an agent for Wike selling lands in Abuja,” Sani said.
Reminded that the allegation was serious, he added that he was merely repeating what had been circulating among party insiders.
“No, I’m not the one saying it. It is something which is within the room or milieu and I am sure he must have also heard it,” he said.
Sani also disagreed with Saraki’s suggestion that the party should avoid further litigation over the leadership dispute and instead focus on holding a new convention within the electoral commission’s timetable.
According to him, the party should pursue the case up to the Supreme Court to obtain a definitive legal interpretation.
“If we had started from the Federal High Court, what stops us from going to the Supreme Court?” he asked.
“It doesn’t matter. What is important is that the Supreme Court needs to take this matter into cognisance because it is the Supreme Court that laid out the basic rule.”
The comments come against the backdrop of a deepening leadership crisis within the PDP, which has split the party into rival factions.
One bloc is believed to be loyal to Wike, while the other is aligned with Oyo State governor Seyi Makinde and several party leaders who insist the PDP must remain a united opposition force ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Wike-aligned faction has been widely accused by opponents within the party of working to support the re-election bid of President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
The latest controversy followed Monday’s ruling by the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which upheld a Federal High Court judgment that nullified the PDP national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16 last year.
The convention had produced former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki, as national chairman.
However, the three-member panel of the appellate court, headed by Justice Mohammed Danjuma, ruled that the convention was invalid because proper congresses were not conducted before the gathering.
The court also dismissed arguments by the Turaki faction that the matter was an internal affair of the party beyond judicial interference.
Following the judgment, Saraki, who heads the PDP reconciliation committee set up last year to help resolve the crisis, urged party leaders and stakeholders to accept the ruling and focus on rebuilding the party.
In a statement issued through Yusuph Olaniyonu, head of the Abubakar Bukola Saraki Media Office in Abuja, the former Senate President said prolonged litigation could jeopardise the party’s chances in upcoming elections.
Saraki said there was little time to await a Supreme Court ruling given the electoral timetable and warned that continued legal battles could create uncertainty over the validity of candidates nominated on the PDP platform.
He therefore urged feuding leaders to “bury the hatchet” and work towards organising an all-inclusive national convention that would comply with INEC guidelines.
Despite the appeal, divisions within the party remain deep, with some members questioning Saraki’s neutrality and insisting that the legal battle over the disputed convention should be pursued to its final conclusion at the Supreme Court.
