PDP Divided Over National Convention as Wabara and Saraki Clash

Two former Senate Presidents and senior leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Adolphus Wabara and Bukola Saraki, are at odds over holding the party’s national convention scheduled to start tomorrow in Ibadan, Oyo State.

While Wabara, Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), insists the convention must go on despite internal disagreements, Saraki, former governor of Kwara State, warned that proceeding amid ongoing legal disputes could worsen the crisis affecting the party.

Saraki Advocates Caretaker Committee

In a statement signed after meeting with the BoT Reconciliation Team led by Ambassador Hassan Adamu, Saraki urged the PDP to establish a Caretaker Committee to manage party affairs temporarily and restore calm.

He described the planned convention as “mired in controversy, both politically and legally,” cautioning that conflicting court orders cast doubt on the legitimacy of the exercise and its outcome.

“As it stands, there are conflicting court orders in relation to the validity of the scheduled convention. Therefore, going ahead with the convention as scheduled is a waste of efforts and does not have my support,” Saraki said.

He further argued that political conflicts should be resolved amicably around the table, not through the courts, and emphasized his responsibility to protect both his constituents’ interests and the democratic stability of the country.

Wabara Insists Convention Must Hold

Wabara, however, maintained that the long-awaited national convention would proceed as planned, stressing that all major organs of the PDP, including the Governors’ Forum, National Working Committee (NWC), and the BoT, had agreed to hold it.

“It is absolutely practical for us to go to the convention. Only a court order can stop it,” Wabara declared during the presentation of the BoT Reconciliation Committee’s report at his Abuja residence.

He criticized some court orders as contradictory to Supreme Court rulings and dismissed suggestions that the BoT had intervened too late, attributing the party’s current difficulties to personal ambitions among leaders rather than structural issues.

Committee Report Highlights

Committee Secretary, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe, said the BoT Reconciliation Team conducted wide-ranging consultations with stakeholders, including the FCT Minister, PDP Governors’ Forum, NWC, suspended national officers, and Saraki himself.

“Our recommendations aim to present a roadmap for sustainable and progressive party administration, addressing the realities confronting the PDP,” Oghiadomhe explained.

As the PDP prepares for the Ibadan convention, it remains unclear whether the internal disagreements will be resolved or if legal disputes will continue to overshadow the party’s key gathering.