For the umpteenth time, the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reaffirmed that its national convention scheduled for Saturday 15th, and Sunday, 16th November, in Ibadan, Oyo State, will proceed as planned.
Addressing newsmen after a strategic meeting of the PDP Governors, National Working Committee (NWC), Board of Trustees (BOT), in Abuja, the Chairman of the National Convention Organising Committee and Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, said the party remained united on the convention and would not be distracted by conflicting statements from aggrieved factions.
The clarification followed a statement issued by the suspended National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and the PDP factional National Chairman, Abdurahman Mohammed, where they advised party members to boycott the Ibadan convention.
Among other reasons, the faction cited a subsisting Federal High Court order allegedly restraining the PDP from holding the convention and barring the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from supervising the election of new officers.
In a related development, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara, has received the report of the reconciliation committee and expressed optimism that the PDP would overcome its internal challenges.
He described the disputes within the party as “self-inflicted” insisting that they were not insurmountable.
Wabara stated that all organs of the party, including the Governors’ Forum, NWC, and the BoT, had already agreed that the convention must go ahead, noting that only a clear, final directive from the courts could alter the plans.
He emphasized the need for strict adherence to the supremacy of the Supreme Court in guiding lower courts, cautioning against what he termed “conflicting orders that undermine established judicial precedence.”
Addressing concerns that the BoT’s intervention came too late, Wabara clarified that the board had been working behind the scenes for a long time but lacked the financial and structural capacity to enforce its positions without the support of other organs.
He maintained that the PDP’s internal disputes were driven largely by personal political interests, including alleged long-term plans by some actors to weaken the party now and take control ahead of the 2031 political cycle.
He assured Nigerians that, despite disagreements, all party stakeholders ultimately need the PDP as a strong opposition platform for democracy and national development.
With all major organs of the party aligned, preparations for the National Convention in Ibadan continue in full gear.
Meanwhile, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has issued a final order stopping PDP’s 2025 National Convention in Ibadan.
Lifu, in his final judgment on Friday afternoon in a suit filed by former Jigawa state governor, Sule Lamido barred PDP from proceeding with the convention until it complies with its Constitution and Guidelines on the convention.
He ordered that the Ibadan convention must be put on hold until Sule Lamido is allowed to purchase nomination form for the office of the National Chairmanship.
The judge prohibited the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC from supervising, monitoring, or aiding the Ibadan convention until the former Jigawa state governor was to participate in the convention.
The judge held that PDP is under strict obligation to adhere to its own rules and regulations by giving opportunities to eligible members to realize their aspirations.
He said that it was wrong of the PDP to have denied Lamido the opposite to purchase nomination form for the office of the national chairman of the party.
