By Obinna Uballa
The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the ongoing crisis within the party as self-inflicted but insisted that its national convention, scheduled to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State, will proceed as planned.
BoT Chairman and former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, stated this on Thursday in Abuja during the presentation of the report of the BoT Reconciliation Committee.
Wabara maintained that the party remains strong and united in its resolve to reposition itself ahead of future elections, noting that all key organs of the PDP have agreed to move forward with the convention.
“It is absolutely practicable for us to go to the convention. All the organs of the party—the Governors’ Forum, the National Working Committee, and the Board of Trustees—have agreed that we will proceed. Our last communiqué also mentioned it,” he said.
He, however, added that the party would comply with any lawful court order affecting the convention’s schedule. “If we are stopped by the courts, we are a law-abiding party. We will obey the law or obey the last order, as the case may be,” he stated.
Responding to concerns that the BoT’s intervention came too late, Wabara dismissed such claims, asserting that the PDP’s internal problems were “self-inflicted” and largely driven by personal and political ambitions.
“There is actually no crisis. All these problems we have in the PDP are self-inflicted. In politics, it’s all about interests. Some people want the party dead now so they can resurrect it in 2031 for their own purposes,” he said.
Wabara reaffirmed the BoT’s commitment to the unity and survival of the party, stressing that his actions were guided purely by the interest of the PDP and Nigerians.
“I am not thinking of contesting for anything. Our decisions will always be in the interest of the PDP and the people. The PDP remains a party for the people,” he declared.
Earlier, the Chairman of the BoT Reconciliation Committee, Ambassador Hassan Adamu, explained that the committee, inaugurated on November 5, 2025, had immediately begun consultations with key stakeholders to ensure a smooth and credible convention.
“We have spoken to various segments of our party—the leaders, the Governors’ Forum, and others—and we have now come up with our recommendations for a hitch-free convention. It has been a challenging task, but we have done our best,” Adamu said.
Presenting the report, the committee’s secretary and former Chief of Staff to President Goodluck Jonathan, Mike Oghiadomhe, said the panel engaged extensively with major stakeholders, including the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike; members of the Governors’ Forum; the National Working Committee (NWC); and suspended national officers.
“We met with the Minister of the FCT, the Governors’ Forum, and the NWC led by the Deputy National Chairman in the absence of Ambassador Damagum. We also met with the suspended National Secretary, Sam Anyanwu, the National Organising Secretary, and the National Legal Adviser,” Oghiadomhe explained.
He added that the committee also consulted former Senate President Bukola Saraki and other senior party figures before compiling its report and recommendations.
“We believe that we have addressed all the key issues troubling our party. Our recommendations provide a clear roadmap for sustainable and effective party administration at this critical time,” he said.
Six copies of the reconciliation report, along with annexures containing supporting documents, were submitted to the BoT for deliberation ahead of the convention.
The upcoming national convention, however, faces uncertainty due to deepening divisions in the party.
While the suspended National Secretary, Sam Anyanwu; National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade; and National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, have aligned with a new faction led by Abdulrahman Mohammed, reportedly backed by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, the Damagum-led NWC retains the support of the governors, BoT, and other major organs of the party.
