The Tanimu Kabiru Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State has claimed to be the authentic leadership of the party in the state and warned that continued activities by the faction aligned with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike could trigger a breakdown of law and order.
Key Highlights
Turaki-led PDP faction claims control of the party structure in Cross River.
Faction warns that rival activities could threaten peace in the state.
Governorship candidate Julius Odayi calls for increased security monitoring.
PDP factions in Cross River continue to dispute the party’s legitimate structure.
Turaki faction cites a recent Court of Appeal judgment in the Osun PDP dispute.
The development followed a media briefing by the Wike-aligned faction led by its governorship candidate, Sir Arthur Jarvis Archibong, on Wednesday, where the group claimed control of the PDP structure in Cross River State.
Addressing journalists on Thursday, the governorship candidate of the Tanimu Turaki-led faction, Mr Julius Odayi, presented members of his team and called on security agencies, particularly the state’s Chief Security Officer, to take proactive measures to monitor political activities by the rival faction.
Odayi urged security operatives to “shine a searchlight on this reoccurring and continuing parallel political activities” allegedly carried out by members of the Senator Sandy Onoh-led faction, who, he claimed, were parading themselves as PDP candidates in Cross River State.
According to him, the activities could create conditions for violence or constitute a breach of public peace if left unchecked.
“This act breeds indicators for outbreak of violence or is itself an act likely to cause breach of the peace in the state if not checked,” Odayi said.
He warned individuals and groups opposed to the Turaki-led PDP leadership that they risked being used for what he described as political experimentation ahead of future elections.
“We will like to warn that anyone who is against the Turaki leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is on his own or such person/group of persons are being used as guinea pigs for Presidential experimentation in Cross River State,” he said.
Odayi further accused members of the rival faction of pursuing personal interests rather than the development of Cross River State.
He said some of the individuals involved were “chief protagonists in Wike’s playbook” and alleged that their activities were motivated by self-enrichment and aggrandisement.
Turaki Faction Says It Consulted Across 18 LGAs
Odayi said his faction had completed statewide consultations and visited all 18 Local Government Areas of Cross River State.
He said the tour provided an opportunity for the faction to correct what it described as a misleading narrative created by individuals presenting themselves as PDP candidates in the state.
“In the course of our tour and consultations as the authentic candidates, we made frantic efforts at correcting the wrong narrative that some persons had in their activities posed and seemingly presented themselves as rather the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State,” he said.
Faction Cites Court of Appeal Judgment
The PDP factional candidate also referred to the Court of Appeal judgment delivered in Abuja on Thursday, August 13, 2026, concerning the party’s governorship candidacy in Osun State.
Odayi said the court upheld the nomination of Adebayo Olugbenga Adedamola as the authentic PDP governorship candidate for the Osun State governorship election.
He added that the judgment directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to include the PDP logo on the ballot for the election scheduled for Saturday, August 15.
Odayi said the judgment informed his faction’s decision to hold the press briefing and further clarify its position on the leadership dispute in Cross River.
According to him, the ruling reinforced his faction’s claim that the Turaki-led leadership was the legitimate faction of the PDP and that he had been validly nominated and presented as the party’s governorship candidate in Cross River State.
He also maintained that other candidates produced by his faction were the legitimate PDP candidates for their respective positions.
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Cross River PDP Factions Trade Claims
Odayi described the activities of the rival faction, which he associated with Senator Sandy Onoh and the Wike camp, as “unwholesome”.
He accused the group of attempting to disrupt what he described as the peace and tranquillity prevailing in Cross River State by presenting themselves as PDP candidates.
“We must all know that Senator Sandy Onoh and his cohorts are not only frolicking, they are endangering the peace and order that have come to characterise our dear state,” Odayi said.
The latest development adds to the continuing leadership dispute within the PDP in Cross River State, with rival camps laying claim to the party structure and the authority to nominate candidates for forthcoming elections.
