The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday kicked off its 2025 Elective National Convention at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan, drawing thousands of delegates amid ongoing internal disputes.
Over 3,000 delegates, including governors, NEC members, BoT members and other stakeholders from across the country, converged on the Oyo State capital for the two-day event tagged #Ibadan2025. The convention will run from November 15 to 16 and will produce a new National Working Committee to lead the party into the 2027 elections.
According to a statement released via the party’s official X handle, Ibadan was praised for its modern facilities and historic significance, recalling memories of the PDP’s landmark 1998 Jos convention.
BoT Disowns Reconciliation Report
The convention opened against the backdrop of a leaked reconciliation committee report advising the postponement of the exercise and the setting up of a caretaker committee. The report, signed by a six-member panel chaired by Ambassador Hassan Adamu, was intended to reconcile the party’s two warring factions led by Abdulrahman Mohammed and Umar Damagum.
The crisis has been deepened by conflicting court orders and a battle for control between the Damagum-led National Working Committee, backed by PDP governors, and the Abdulrahman faction, which enjoys the support of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
In a statement on Saturday, BoT Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, distanced the board from the leaked report, stressing that it had not been discussed or adopted.
“The content of the said report does not represent the official position of the Board,” Wabara said. “It cannot be regarded as such in any form.”
He reaffirmed the BoT’s full backing for the convention, citing a Supreme Court judgment affirming the independence of political parties in managing their internal affairs.
The board also rejected suggestions for a caretaker committee, insisting that the party had already “irreversibly decided” to proceed with the elective convention.
With the leadership tussle still unresolved but the convention underway, party leaders hope the outcome will help stabilise the PDP ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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