Plateau PDP Faces Split After Two Factions Nominate Separate Governorship Candidates

The Plateau State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has entered a new phase of confusion after two rival factions each produced a separate candidate for the 2027 governorship election.

Both factions claim the support of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and former governor Tanimu Turaki. During the week, each group held its own primary and selected a different nominee.

The Wike‑aligned faction held its primary on Tuesday, nominating businessman and philanthropist Kefas Ropshik, better known as Kefiano. The Turaki‑aligned faction conducted a separate primary and chose retired permanent secretary and former gubernatorial aspirant Sunday Garba Biggs.

Felix Choji, the Turaki faction’s state publicity secretary, announced Biggs as the “authentic flag bearer” of the PDP. He said that Biggs was the only aspirant who had submitted the required expression‑of‑interest form and that the party’s screening committee in Abuja had cleared him. According to Choji, the screening outcome automatically qualified Biggs as the PDP candidate, pending a formal affirmation scheduled for later this week.

In a statement, the Wike‑backed faction declared that Ropshik was the sole candidate recognized and accepted by the party, and that any candidate produced by the opposing faction was not an acceptable aspirant.

The dual nominations have left party members confused and raise questions about which candidate will be officially recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the upcoming election.

The appearance of two governorship candidates from competing PDP factions underscores the ongoing internal crisis within the party in Plateau State, and it casts doubt on the party’s ability to reconcile and present a unified front as the 2027 elections approach.