PDP digs in as party presses ahead with convention despite court chaos
The Peoples Democratic Party is ploughing on with its long-awaited National Convention in Ibadan — even as rival court orders, internal rebellions and last-minute political manoeuvres threaten to throw the gathering into turmoil.
Preparations at the Lekan Salami Stadium swung into full gear on Friday, with the party’s trademark red, white and green colours draped across the arena and delegates trooping into the Oyo State capital ahead of the two-day event slated for November 15 and 16.
The defiant push comes after a bewildering week of conflicting rulings. An Oyo High Court boosted the party’s acting national chairman, Umar Damagum, by directing the PDP to press on with plans for the elective convention. But a High Court in Abuja promptly countered, slapping an order on the party to halt the event entirely and instructing INEC not to supervise or recognise it.
The confusion deepened when a faction led by Sam Anyanwu abruptly announced the convention had been postponed — only for the Damagum-backed leadership to dismiss the claim within hours.
Still, the party’s national machinery appears undeterred. On its official X handle, the PDP posted fresh images from the stadium, boasting that preparations were “hitting fever pitch” and vowing the convention would “redefine the PDP’s trajectory toward 2027”.
By Thursday night, the party’s top brass — including serving and former governors, National Assembly members, NWC officials, BOT members and state chairmen — met at the Bauchi State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja and unanimously reaffirmed the dates as “irrevocable”.
But not everyone is on board.
Former Senate President Bukola Saraki, a two-term PDP governor of Kwara State, broke ranks, urging the party to call off the convention entirely. In a late-night message to his followers, he argued that only the formation of a temporary caretaker committee could stabilise the party and restore confidence among members seeking to run on its platform.
“This is the path to true reconciliation and stability,” he warned, insisting the party risked deepening its internal rifts by forging ahead.
For now, however, the PDP appears determined to stage its convention on schedule — court orders, factional mutiny and political turbulence notwithstanding.