PDP convention: Party leaders push for unity, warn against symbolic gathering

KEY figures within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have called on the party’s newly elected leadership to embrace broad-based inclusion and rebuild cohesion, warning that the national convention should mark the beginning of genuine reconciliation rather than end as a routine political exercise.

At the Abuja gathering, notable stakeholders such as Bukola Saraki, Zainab Kure, Mao Ohuanbuwa, Abba Moro and Sule Lamido reflected on the party’s internal struggles since its 2021 convention, linking persistent conflicts and factionalism to lapses in internal democratic practices.

Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) observed the exercise, with National Commissioners Sani Adams and Ken Ukeagu in attendance, alongside senior personnel from its legal, monitoring and administrative units.

Delivering his remarks, Okezie Ikpeazu, who chaired the convention planning committee, said the party has endured a difficult period since its last elective convention in October 2021, noting that leadership disputes at the centre tested its structures and stability.

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He explained that the situation prompted intervention by the National Executive Committee (NEC) in December 2025, leading to the installation of a caretaker leadership to steady the organisation.

Mr Ikpeazu said the convention’s theme, ‘Inclusiveness, Unity, and Renewal,’ was deliberately chosen to reflect the party’s current condition and its aspirations, stressing that members must use the moment to mend divisions, restore confidence and reposition the PDP within Nigeria’s democratic landscape.

While acknowledging earlier reconciliation moves, Saraki urged the new executives to sustain engagement with aggrieved members, warning that abandoning the process could deepen fractures within the party.

On his part, Lamido, speaking for former governors, blamed the party’s crisis on a culture of exclusion under previous leadership, saying that sidelining members had weakened internal bonds. He nonetheless praised a recent ruling by the Abuja division of the court of appeal, describing it as instrumental in putting the party back on course.

Lamido further reminded delegates that electing a new National Working Committee is a critical democratic responsibility, urging those elected to prioritise unity and collective interest as they take charge of the party’s affairs for the next 4 years.