KEY POINTS
- PDP convention in Ibadan set for November 15–16.
- Wike allies warn event invalid without concessions.
- Governors insist PDP convention will not be stopped.
Governors of Nigeria’s main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have declared that the party’s Ibadan national convention scheduled for November 15–16 will hold, brushing aside attempts by allies of Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike to stall the exercise.
The governors, joined by PDP National Chairman Umar Damagum and other leaders, inaugurated a 119-member planning committee in Abuja on Tuesday, vowing that the event would go ahead as planned.
PDP governors back Ibadan convention date
Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, who chairs the PDP Governors’ Forum, said the party will not bow to “arrogance and impunity” and further dismissed threats from Wike’s loyalists. He warned that the party would take disciplinary action against those undermining it.
Wike camp disputes zoning arrangements
On Monday, Wike’s supporters, operating under the banner of Eminent Leaders and Concerned Stakeholders, insisted the convention would be invalid if the party ignored their demands.
They called for fresh congresses in Ebonyi, Anambra, and the South-East, while insisting the party chairmanship remain in North-Central under the 2021 formula.
Leaders vow PDP convention is sacrosanct
Despite Wike’s objections, PDP governors and the National Working Committee maintain the convention will hold in Ibadan. Furthermore they say the exercise will reflect the party’s democratic values and prepare it to challenge the ruling APC in 2027.
