Fresh Crisis Rocks PDP As Two Governorship Candidates Emerge In Benue

The leadership crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a new turn following the emergence of two governorship candidates for the 2027 Benue State election, with rival factions of the party issuing separate Certificates of Return.

According to reports, former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Michael Aondoakaa (SAN), received a Certificate of Return at the PDP National Secretariat, Wadata Plaza in Abuja after emerging as the governorship candidate of the faction aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Aondoakaa attended the ceremony alongside his running mate, Oyije Ochaekiti Ogbenjuwa, as well as several party leaders and stakeholders from Benue State.

In a parallel development, another faction of the party led by former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN), presented a separate Certificate of Return to Emmanuel Agbo, the Director-General of the PDP Governors’ Forum, after declaring him the winner of its own governorship primary election.

While the Wike-backed group conducted its presentation at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja, the Turaki-led faction held its ceremony at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in the nation’s capital.

The development further underscores the deepening divisions within the PDP, as competing factions continue to lay claim to the party’s structure and leadership. The issuance of separate Certificates of Return to rival candidates marks the latest episode in the prolonged internal crisis that has continued to challenge the party’s unity ahead of future elections.