The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) staged a dramatic display of “unity” yesterday as 29 state chairmen, flanked by National Chairman Tanimu Turaki (SAN) and his National Working Committee (NWC), paraded themselves in Abuja to “dispel” what Turaki called fabricated rumors of division. With photo-ops, rehearsed speeches, and an unmistakable air of damage control, the party leadership tried to shut down talk of rifts and factions that has dominated headlines in recent weeks.

Turaki, joined by his loyal inner circle,including Deputy Chairman Hamza Akuyam Koshe, National Secretary Taofeek Arapaja, and Deputy National Secretary Richard Ihediwa,claimed the gathering was a definitive stamp of approval from all corners of the party. “Who is not here?” Turaki asked in a carefully scripted moment, as if the mere presence of loyalists in Abuja would erase weeks of public discord.

According to Turaki, the few missing state chairmen had sent apologies, while other states, conveniently, have no current leadership due to recent dissolutions. Turaki’s message was clear: “There is no crack here,” he insisted, going so far as to question the legitimacy of anyone suggesting otherwise.

But the timing of this “show of unity” is impossible to ignore. It comes directly after aggressive moves by the camp backing Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. Wike’s allies, Mohammed Abdulrahman and Senator Samuel Anyanwu, are still staking their claims as Acting National Chairman and Secretary respectively, and have even announced a caretaker committee,moves widely seen as open rebellion. Yet the Turaki camp continues to push the narrative that only they are “the bona fide leaders,” dismissing their rivals as impostors.

In a performance that bordered on the theatrical, Turaki reaffirmed that the only legitimate NWC is the one anointed by the state chairmen in Abuja. Any suggestion of internal crisis, he implied, is nothing more than gossip from those “the whole world knows are not members of our party.”

The day wasn’t complete without the obligatory attack on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), with Turaki blaming the APC for “undoing” the PDP’s supposedly golden legacy. He promised, yet again, that the PDP would “reclaim Nigeria” in 2027 and lift the country to the “promised land”,the same promise politicians have made for decades. No acknowledgement of previous PDP missteps, no specifics, just broad strokes and dramatic rhetoric.

For the cameras, the Abuja meeting served its purpose: a media-ready tableau of unity, with Turaki and his camp projecting confidence ahead of 2027. But beneath the surface, party watchers note that the struggles for control, legitimacy, and relevance are far from over. For now, the PDP’s house may appear in order, but the real story is still unfolding behind closed doors.