The Wike-aligned faction of the Peoples Democratic Party opens its much-anticipated two-day national convention at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Velodrome in Abuja on Sunday, with 2,500 delegates expected to elect a new National Working Committee and take critical zoning decisions the party hopes will lay the groundwork for a serious challenge to the ruling APC in the 2027 general elections.
The convention is scheduled to hold on Sunday, March 29, and Monday, March 30, with seating arrangements for all states completed and the VIP section ready. “We do not expect more than 2,500 delegates,” FCT Minister Nyesom Wike said during a personal inspection of the venue on Saturday.
Wike was bullish about the party’s trajectory. He declared the party is presenting a unified front for the first time, insisting there are “no factions” and that everyone has agreed on the direction being taken. “For the first time, the PDP is presenting a unified front, rather than the usual ‘unity list’ that often reflects internal divisions,” he said. He also threw down a direct challenge to the ruling party. “PDP will surprise Nigerians” in the next general elections, he declared.
On the critical question of zoning, the convention is expected to formalise an arrangement already agreed at the leadership level. The party’s 2027 presidency has been allocated to the South, with the national chairmanship going to the North, a consensus arrangement designed to ensure a smooth leadership election and reduce internal tensions.
PDP Acting National Chairman Abdulrahman Mohammed, speaking at the inauguration of the Convention Organising Committee on Saturday night, urged members to put past crises behind them. “The responsibility before you is both administrative and historic. You are entrusted with the duty of planning and delivering a national convention that will stand firmly on the pillars of legality, legitimacy and inclusiveness,” he said.
Convention Committee Chairman Okezie Ikpeazu, the former Abia State governor, framed the gathering as the party’s defining moment. “The PDP had gone through internal crises and prolonged legal battles that tested both its structure and unity. But today, we stand on the other side of that storm,” he said, adding: “Reconciliation is not optional; it is imperative. We must have the courage to listen to one another, the humility to admit where we went wrong, and the strength to forgive — genuinely and completely.”
Participation from across the country is widening. The Kebbi State chapter of the PDP confirmed it will send its full delegation to the convention, with state party secretary Abubakar Kalgo saying the decision was reached unanimously by key stakeholders. “We are satisfied with the arrangements for the Abuja convention, and all our delegates are prepared to participate fully,” Kalgo said. The development is significant given that Kebbi had previously distanced itself from the Tanimu Turaki faction despite Turaki being a Kebbi indigene.
Wike dismissed the relevance of the ongoing Supreme Court appeal filed by the rival Turaki group. He insisted reconciliation will continue after the convention, while maintaining that the PDP is large enough to accommodate all aggrieved members. “There is room for accommodation. The PDP is a very large party. Look at the umbrella, it is wide enough to accommodate everyone,” he said.
The rival PDP faction led by Tanimu Turaki has not recognised the convention’s legitimacy, with its NEC heading to the Supreme Court over an earlier Court of Appeal judgment. The Wike camp has dismissed the Turaki NWC as non-existent, pointing to court judgments from both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal affirming the Caretaker Committee as the authentic PDP leadership. “Nigeria is not a banana republic; it is a democratic society. Democracy must thrive on the rule of law,” a source in the Wike camp said.
The convention arrives as the party navigates a delicate path between legal battles, internal reconciliation, and the need to present a cohesive opposition platform before the 2027 electoral calendar intensifies.