Baskadia

By ETTAH EMMANUEL O.

CALABAR, Nigeria — August 14, 2026 — A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State has renewed its claim to the party’s legitimate leadership structure, citing a recent Court of Appeal judgment involving the party’s governorship candidate in Osun State.

The faction, aligned with the national leadership led by Tanimu Turaki, said the Court of Appeal ruling had strengthened its position that the Turaki-led structure remains the recognised authority of the PDP and that candidates nominated under its platform are valid.

At a press briefing in Calabar, the group said the appellate court, sitting in Abuja on Thursday, August 13, upheld the nomination of Adebayо Olugbenga Adedamola as the PDP’s authentic candidate for the Osun State governorship election.

According to the faction, the court affirmed Adedamola’s nomination and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the party by including its logo on the Osun governorship ballot.

The group argued that the ruling has broader implications for the leadership dispute in Cross River State, particularly regarding the candidacy of Julius Udayi Koly. It maintained that Koly and other candidates nominated through the Turaki-led structure should be regarded as the legitimate PDP candidates in the state.

The faction also accused a rival group associated with Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike and Senator Sandy Onoh of presenting competing claims to PDP leadership and candidacies.

It urged security agencies to monitor what it described as competing political activities, warning that parallel leadership claims could heighten political tensions and affect public order.

The faction called on Cross River residents and PDP supporters to back the Turaki-led structure, stressing that its intervention was aimed at clarifying the party’s leadership and electoral representation ahead of the 2027 elections.

The dispute highlights continuing divisions within the Cross River PDP and the growing importance of resolving the party’s internal leadership crisis before the 2027 electoral cycle.