By Laolu Elija, Adeola Badru & Luminous Jannamike
THE emergence of Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, as the new National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, at the party’s National Convention in Ibadan was not a tea party.
It was the culmination of a long, complicated and politically charged process, shaped by legal battles, internal power realignments, strategic expulsions, and a determined insistence by elders and governors that the PDP must reclaim its relevance before the next general election.
The convention, held at the Lekan Salami Sports Complex in Adamasingba, unfolded in an atmosphere of defiance and urgency, with the party leadership insisting that the gathering must hold despite competing court orders and pressure from opposing interests that wanted it halted.
Strong statement
What played out in Ibadan ultimately became a strong statement about the party’s resilience, its internal recalibration and the deliberate choice of Turaki as the face of a new direction.Long before delegates began taking their seats on Saturday morning, the convention had already survived two court rulings that attempted to stop it.
Legal manoeuvre
This legal manoeuvre set the tone for what many participants later described as evidence that the PDP was unwilling to allow internal litigation or factional interests to dictate its future. Throughout the day, speaker after speaker referenced the legal fights, repeatedly telling delegates that convening in Ibadan at all was itself a victory.
Survival will
Many delegates interpreted the ability to sit, vote and deliberate as a reassertion of the party’s will to survive, particularly after the turbulence that had dominated its affairs since the last general election.
Still, beneath the energetic chants, the solidarity songs and the ceremonial displays of party colours, tensions simmered. Delegates tore down the posters of two governors, Adeleke of Osun and Kefas of Taraba, in open anger at their absence. They argued that at a moment so decisive for the party’s future, no senior leader ought to stay away.
In his address, Governor Seyi Makinde anchored the day with a mixture of seriousness and warmth, emphasising that the gathering would mark a turning point in the life of the party.
Makinde said: “I want to welcome everyone to this convention, the resilient members of the PDP. Let me use this opportunity to welcome you to Ibadan, Oyo State.
“We have fought a long stretch of battle to get to this point, but here we are. And by the grace of God, this convention will go down as the convention that brought a turn-around to the PDP nationally.
“So, as you go around, don’t only politick, you should also use the opportunity to take amala and gbegiri in Ibadan. On that note, on behalf of the people of Oyo State, especially members of the PDP, we welcome you.”
Delivering a more sobering message, the Chairman of the National Convention Organising Committee, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State reminded attendees that Nigerians were looking to the PDP once again for national rescue and that the party must not veer from its foundational democratic ideals.Fintiri said: “Power to the party stands for a party solidly formed on the tenets of courage and democratic ideals to rescue Nigeria. And it must at all times never veer off from the course of our fundamental tenets,” he said.
He added that Nigerians were still “looking up to us to play that role that has always been our tradition,” insisting that the country had “reset back to the pre-PDP era and is dearly looking up to the PDP to pull its arm.”
Enduring struggle
Acknowledging the struggles the party has endured in recent years, the governor said: “We must admit that whatever bad has happened to Nigeria over the past few years has also happened to our party. The soul of the party is still intact because there are men and women who believe in the party’s fundamental tenets.”
PDP won’t die —Wabara
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara, described the Ibadan gathering as proof that the PDP would not die, praising the delegates for their resilience and thanking the host governor for the support provided.
His emphasis on unity, discipline and inclusive leadership was a subtle reminder to the incoming National Working Committee that the road ahead would be difficult and that rebuilding public trust required a collaborative approach.
Before voting commenced, the convention formally ratified Umar Damagum as substantive National Chairman, following a motion raised and seconded by senior party figures in line with the party’s constitutional provisions.
This procedural step removed the administrative ambiguities that had lingered around the leadership structure and cleared the path for the election of new national officers, including the crucial position of National Chairman.
When voting concluded and Convention Secretary, Senator Ben Obi announced that Kabiru Tanimu Turaki had won with 1,516 votes, the stadium erupted in applause.
Delegates danced, drums echoed across the stands, and many members from various regions embraced one another in what appeared to be a release of collective relief after months of internal strife.
The announcement of other positions, including the emergence of Solarin Adekunle as Deputy National Organising Secretary, was received with similar enthusiasm, especially as many candidates had been returned unopposed following withdrawals by their rivals.
Bridge builder
Behind the scenes, Turaki’s emergence had been months in the making. He was widely considered a neutral figure, who was not deeply entangled in the factional disputes that had polarised the party.
Several governors and party elders regarded him as a bridge-builder with the temperament to handle both reconciliation and organisational overhaul. His background as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria also lent him gravitas, particularly at a time when the party had been dragged repeatedly into legal battles.
Regional balancing
Regional balancing also worked in his favour, as several members saw his candidacy as a stabilising option within the PDP’s traditional zoning logic.
Moreover, the withdrawal of several aspirants before the vote significantly reduced the chances of a contentious battle and allowed delegates to consolidate around Turaki as the most viable consensus candidate.
Broad mandate
With 2,745 accredited delegates that participated, excluding those from states whose structures were dissolved, Turaki’s mandate was broadly representative. Another major resolution adopted during the convention was the dissolution of the party structure at ward, local government and state levels in Imo, Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Abia and Rivers.
Vote for stability
A critical analysis of the events revealed that Turaki’s emergence marked a vote for stability.The party appears to have chosen a chairman whose primary responsibility will not be combat but reconstruction. His task is immense.
He is expected to reconcile warring factions, rebuild dismantled structures, address the discontent of expelled members’ supporters, and prepare the party for 2027.
He must also reposition the PDP as a credible alternative in a political climate where public trust in political institutions is already strained.
Era of impunity in PDP gone —Turaki
In his acceptance speech, the newly elected National Chairman of the PDP, Turaki, declared that the era of impunity within the party has ended, promising a renewed commitment to internal discipline and a return of the party to its grassroots owners.
Turaki, a former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, said he fully understood the enormity of the responsibility placed on his shoulders and those of the newly constituted National Working Committee, NWC, adding that the mandate entrusted to them must be carried faithfully to Nigerians.
He said: “The cross you have given us means that you watch us also take it to the Nigerian people, and that we shall do.
“We are not under any illusion that the task placed on us is a simple one. Our party is at a crossroads now, but we are up to the task; we are up to the challenge.
“Very soon, we shall be rolling out what our guiding principles will be and the modus operandi for achieving them. When we do that, we shall be hitting the ground running from day one.”
Turaki emphasised that the PDP remained the only political party in the country that had retained its original identity since inception.”
He attributed this to the party’s roots among ordinary Nigerians and its resilience over the years.
“Today, as I talk to you, the only political party that has retained its name is the Peoples Democratic Party. This has been possible because this is the party of the Nigerian people. Make no mistake about it; we are returning the party to you, the people,” he said.
Makinde rescued PDP from destructive forces —S-West leaders
Meanwhile, the South-West chapter of the PDP, yesterday, said Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has rescued the party from forces allegedly determined to stifle its growth.
The Zonal Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Sanya Atofarati, said the successful conduct of the national convention had rekindled the confidence of Nigerians who have long yearned for genuine democratic leadership—something he argued the All Progressives Congress, APC, has failed to provide due to what he termed its divide-and-rule governance style.
Atofarati said: “Governor Seyi Makinde has once again demonstrated exemplary leadership and must be commended for saving the party from total collapse.
“He can best be described as the biblical Moses of the PDP, whose collaborative efforts with other well-meaning leaders have given the party a new lease of life. “The APC’s political decline will begin with the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections in 2026.”
To save PDP is to save Nigeria’s democracy — Olawepo-Hashim
Amid deepening tensions within the PDP, former presidential candidate and founding member of the party, Mr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, yesterday, urged immediate reconciliation and a return to the party’s original principles, warning that Nigeria’s democracy is at stake.
Olawepo-Hashim, who was reacting to what he described as a controversial National Convention in Ibadan, Oyo State, reminded Nigerians of the party’s historic origins 27 years ago.
He described the founding of the PDP as one of the most remarkable demonstrations of political maturity in the country’s history.
He noted that the party’s formation brought together over 13 political associations, each robust enough to stand independently, united through dialogue, broad consultation, and a deep spirit of inclusion.
According to him, the founding leaders deliberately created a platform capable of preventing military adventurism, safeguarding the unity and indivisibility of the Nigerian State, and promoting genuine Federalism.
The founding PDP member, in a statement, stressed that the current path of fragmentation, court induced confusion, and exclusionary politics is a dangerous departure from the party’s foundational ideals.
He said: “Inclusion, not exclusion, is the tradition of the PDP. “We must strive to bring all sides back to the table to save the PDP and save Nigeria’s democracy. We must not leave anyone behind.”
Hashim added a scriptural reminder, noting that the Bible teaches that “to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.”
He stressed that this is not the season to expel members, it is the season to reconcile and bring new members, and it is the season to save the PDP in order to save Nigeria’s democracy.
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