Governors elected on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform are facing a crossroads over their 2027 re-election bids, as the party’s leadership crisis continues to linger unresolved.

 

The most affected are first-term governors including:

• Ademola Adeleke (Osun)

• Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau)

• Dauda Lawal (Zamfara)

 

Adeleke’s situation is particularly critical, with the Osun State governorship election scheduled for August 2026, well ahead of the 2027 general elections.

 

Efforts by these governors to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) have reportedly been blocked by both the APC leadership and state-level stakeholders, leaving them in a political bind..At the national level, the PDP remains divided into two rival factions, casting further uncertainty over the governors’ ability to secure nomination forms for re-election through the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

• The Turaki-led faction, regarded as mainstream and supported by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, emerged from the disputed PDP national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15-16, 2025.

• The Wike-backed faction, loyal to FCT Minister Abdulrahman Mohammed, had announced its leadership days before the convention.

 

Attempts by the Wike-backed faction to have its leadership recognised by INEC were recently rejected, while the Turaki-led faction has also failed to gain full confidence of the electoral commission.

The party’s crisis has been compounded by two Federal High Court judgments in Abuja:

• Justice James Omotosho ruled that PDP leadership breached its own constitution in the lead-up to the convention.

• Justice Peter Lifu halted the convention in response to a suit filed by former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, alleging denial of a nomination form.

 

Despite these rulings, the Makinde-backed faction secured an ex parte order from a high court in Ibadan, allowing the convention to proceed.

 

The conflict turned violent on November 18, 2025, when both factions attempted to seize the Abuja PDP national secretariat, with police using tear gas on Makinde and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed. The secretariat has since been sealed, forcing the two factions to operate from separate locations.

With the party’s national leadership in dispute and INEC recognition uncertain, PDP governors are left in limbo regarding their 2027 re-election plans. Analysts warn that unless the leadership crisis is resolved, the party risks further weakening its hold in key states and losing political ground to opposition parties.