The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held its 2026 elective convention on Sunday at Eagles Square in Abuja. Attendees included former Senate President Bukola Saraki, former governor of Jigawa State and one of the party’s founding fathers Alhaji Sule Lamido, former governor of Kaduna State Senator Mohammed Markafi, and former governor of Gombe State Alhaji Dakwambo.
Senator Abdul Ningi, Senator Abba Moro, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, former Benue State governor Samuel Ortom, Michael Aondokaa, Senator Natasha Akpoti, Chief Ayodele Fayose, and Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike were among the other dignitaries present.
Senator Mustafa Khabeeb, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, Honorable Kingsley Chinda, and Chibudum Nwuche were among the others.
The 36 states of the nation, including the Federal Capital Territory and Abuja, sent delegates.
The National Caretaker Working Committee (NCWC), supported by FCT minister Mr. Nyesom Wike, staged the convention in the midst of an unresolved leadership conflict between the party’s side led by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.
A pending appeal was filed with the Supreme Court by the Makinde group, whose National Working Committee (NWC) is led by Dr. Tanimu Turaki, a former Minister of Special Duties.
The appeal contests a previous ruling by the Abuja Court of Appeal that upheld the invalidation of the party’s convention, which took place in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, on November 15, 2025.
The Abuja Federal High Court invalidated the Ibadan convention, which had severely damaged the Turaki-led NWC. The Court of Appeal subsequently affirmed this ruling.
The two sides’ attempts at reconciliation to prevent the PDP from being barred from the 2027 elections never really reached their zenith because they couldn’t agree on the distribution of important national positions.
The Wike-backed NCWC, led by Mr. Abdulrahman Mohammed, is determined to keep the national chairman, national secretary, and national organizing secretary positions. As a result, the camp is pushing for a convention where the officials would be returned without opposition.
Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Honourable Umar Nature are anticipated to continue as national secretary and national organising secretary, respectively, while Mohammed is anticipated to maintain his position as national chairman.
The former governor of Rivers State danced around the arena to welcome the applauding delegates as the convention rituals began on Sunday night. Wike arrived early.
The two PDP governors who are still in office, Makinde and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, were not present at the event, though.
In a similar vein, not a single member of the NWC led by Turaki was present.
Okezie Ikpeazu, a former governor of Abia State and chairman of the Convention Organizing Committee, spoke to the gathering and stated that the main goal of the convention was to restore the PDP and save it from self-destruction.
He said, “We are gathered under the compelling and forward-looking theme of this Convention: Inclusiveness, Unity, and Renewal.
This theme is not a mere slogan; it is a strategic imperative. It speaks directly to our present reality and defines the pathway to our collective future.
It calls on us to close ranks, rebuild trust, and reposition our party as the foremost platform for democratic governance in Nigeria.”
He demanded that officers be chosen at the convention in order to enforce discipline, refocus the party, and motivate every member.
Ikpeazu stated, “To the National Working Committee that will emerge from this Convention, I congratulate you in advance. But let me also sound a note of clear responsibility: the task before you is onerous, urgent, and unavoidable.
The duty of genuine reconciliation within our party is not optional; it is fundamental. Your work begins immediately.
You must act decisively to heal divisions, rebuild trust, restore discipline, and strengthen internal democracy across all levels of the party structure.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other observers were praised by Ikpeazu for coming to the convention.
Former Senate President Dr. Saraki, meanwhile, commended the convention’s delegate turnout, claiming it demonstrated the party’s continued existence.
Saraki especially praised INEC’s attendance, saying it would dispel any doubts over the legitimacy of the convention’s conclusion.
He said, “We have INEC here, which guarantees credibility and participation in 2027 general elections. INEC is key to this process and I think those who worked tirelessly for this day to happen.
We now have a party that can present candidates in 2027. This is a great achievement.”
Two National Commissioners, Dr. Ken Ukeagu and Professor Sani Adams (SAN), represented INEC.
Additionally present were Joan Arabs, Director of EPM; Rakiya Nauzo, Director of Legal; and Nkechi Abuh, Director of Drafting and Clearance.
Mas’ud Hassan, Rakiya Dattijo, Umar Hassan, Babangida Shanu, and Mustapha Abubakar, Deputy Director Party Legal and Liaison, were also on the team.
Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike challenged governors who left the party after its leadership crisis to return the party’s mandate during his speech at the convention.
He demanded the same thing of National Assembly members and other defectors, accusing them of fleeing the situation rather than remaining to find a solution.
“Our governors were looking for a platform; they got PDP. But when crisis came, they ran away,” he stated, adding, “All those who have (run away), return back our mandate.”
However, the minister claimed that the PDP had endured because of the work of those who remained.
“Standing firmly with the umbrella, we overcame a tragic crisis of leadership, so huge that it threatened to destroy our beautiful party. Together we fought against proponents of ethnic and geographic divisions; we trounced the naysayers who abandoned the core values upon which the party was built and in the process, arrested the party from the vice grip of those who abhor internal democracy and shun adherence to the rule of law.
“More importantly, we fought and returned the party to its rightful owners, the people, an accomplishment which speaks to the fundamental principle upon which the party was erected.”
He described party loyalists as exceptional and praised their tenacity.
