By Obinna Uballa
Ibadan on Saturday played host to thousands of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members as the party formally opened its 2025 Elective National Convention at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba. The two-day event, tagged #Ibadan2025, is expected to usher in a new National Working Committee (NWC) that will steer the party toward the 2027 general elections.
More than 3,000 delegates, including governors, members of the National Executive Committee (NEC), Board of Trustees (BoT) members, and other stakeholders, are expected from across the country for the convention, according to a statement posted on the party’s official X handle by Babangida Umar.
The opening of the convention follows weeks of internal strife, including court cases, factional disagreements, and attempts by opposing camps to halt the exercise. Despite the tension, the party praised Ibadan’s infrastructure and historic significance, recalling the momentum generated during the PDP’s watershed 1998 Jos convention.
The convention commenced under the shadow of a leaked report from the BoT’s reconciliation committee, which recommended suspending the exercise and appointing a caretaker committee to manage party affairs. The report, signed by a six-man panel led by Ambassador Hassan Adamu, was meant to bridge the divide between two opposing factions led by Acting National Chairman Abdulrahman Mohammed and National Chairman Umar Damagum.
The divisions within the PDP have deepened in recent months. While Damagum’s faction enjoys the support of the PDP Governors’ Forum, the Abdulrahman group is backed by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, with both camps taking contrasting positions on the convention.
In a swift response, BoT Chairman Adolphus Wabara issued a statement on Saturday disowning the leaked document, stressing that it had not been adopted and therefore did not reflect the official stance of the board.
“The content of the said report is not and does not represent the official position of the Board,” Wabara said. “Having not been considered or adopted by the BoT, it cannot be regarded as the position of the Board.”
He reaffirmed the board’s unwavering support for the Ibadan convention, stressing that the party remained committed to conducting the exercise as scheduled from November 15–16. Wabara cited a Supreme Court judgement affirming the supremacy of political parties in managing their internal processes.
The BoT also dismissed suggestions of installing a caretaker committee, saying the elective convention remained the legitimate and irreversible path for selecting new leaders who will pilot the party for the next four years.
