The Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Adolphus Wabara, has blamed internal sabotage and personal ambition for the ongoing crisis within the party, but assured that preparations for the national convention scheduled to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State, are firmly on track.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday during the presentation of the BoT Reconciliation Committee report, Wabara said the party’s challenges were not insurmountable and that all major organs - the Governors’ Forum, National Working Committee (NWC), and the BoT - had agreed to proceed with the convention.
“It is absolutely practicable for us to go to the convention. All the organs of the party have agreed that we will proceed. Our last communiqué also made mention of it,” he said.
He, however, noted that the PDP, as a law-abiding party, would comply with any valid court order that might affect the event.
“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,” Wabara added.
Responding to criticisms that the BoT’s reconciliation efforts came too late, the former Senate President said the crisis was largely self-inflicted and motivated by conflicting interests.
“There is actually no crisis. What we have are self-inflicted problems. In politics, interests differ. Some people want the party to collapse now so they can revive it in 2031 for their own interests,” he said.
Wabara reaffirmed the BoT’s commitment to unity and the PDP’s survival, stressing that he had no personal political ambition influencing his stance.
“I am not contesting for any position. Our decisions will always be in the best interest of the PDP and Nigerians. The PDP remains the true party of the people,” he declared.
Earlier, the Chairman of the BoT Reconciliation Committee, Ambassador Hassan Adamu, said the committee, inaugurated on November 5, 2025, immediately began broad consultations with stakeholders to ensure a smooth convention.
“We have spoken to different segments of our party—the leaders, the Governors’ Forum, and others—and we have come up with recommendations to ensure a hitch-free convention. It was a challenging task, but we did our best,” Adamu stated.
Presenting the report, the committee’s secretary and former Chief of Staff to President Goodluck Jonathan, Mike Oghiadomhe, said the panel engaged with top stakeholders, including the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, the Governors’ Forum, the NWC, and suspended national officers.
“We met with the FCT Minister, 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 disclosed that the panel also consulted former Senate President Bukola Saraki and other senior party leaders before finalising its recommendations.
“We believe we have addressed the key issues troubling our party. Our report provides a clear roadmap for effective and sustainable party management at this critical time,” he said.
The committee submitted six copies of the report and annexures containing supporting documents to the BoT for consideration ahead of the convention.
Despite the reconciliatory efforts, tensions remain within the PDP as factional lines continue to deepen.
The suspended National Secretary, Sam Anyanwu; National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade; and National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, have reportedly aligned with a faction led by Abdulrahman Mohammed, said to be backed by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
Meanwhile, the Damagum-led National Working Committee retains the backing of the PDP Governors’ Forum, BoT, and several key organs, setting up a major internal test of strength ahead of the Ibadan convention.
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