PDP delegates arrive Ibadan for convention amid legal and political turmoil

Delegates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have begun arriving in Ibadan, Oyo State, for the National Convention scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, November 15-16, 2025. This movement comes despite the party being polarized by conflicting court rulings and escalating calls from an influential faction, including former Senate President Bukola Saraki and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to suspend the event and establish a caretaker committee.
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The crisis pits the Umar Damagum-led National Working Committee (NWC), which is insisting the convention is sacrosanct, against a rival bloc that argues the legal disputes invalidate the process.
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The NWC, supported by the PDP Governors’ Forum and the Board of Trustees (BoT) led by Senator Adolphus Wabara, is proceeding, due to a favorable Oyo State High Court ruling and a previous Supreme Court decision on party autonomy.
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This bloc argues that the Federal High Court rulings in Abuja, which barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from monitoring the convention and restrained the party from proceeding due to non-compliance with statutory rules, must be obeyed.
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They are actively pushing for a caretaker committee as the most stable and legally defensible path. Former Senate President Bukola Saraki argued, that holding the convention under such controversial circumstances would only exacerbate the party’s wounds.
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Federal High Court Justices James Omotosho and Peter Lifu issued orders restraining the PDP and INEC from going ahead. Meanwhile, Oyo State High Court Justice Ladiran Akintola issued an order allowing the convention to proceed, which the Damagum faction is relying on.
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