PDP delegates flock to Ibadan as the party insists the November 15–16 dates remain unchanged.
Preparations for the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) National Convention intensified on Friday in Ibadan, Oyo State, even as opposing court orders continue to cast uncertainty over the highly anticipated gathering.
The two-day convention, slated for November 15 and 16, has become the centre of legal and political contestation.
An Oyo State High Court last week directed the party and its acting national chairman, Umar Damagum, to proceed with their plans.
But the directive was upended days later when a separate High Court in Abuja issued an injunction stopping the PDP from holding the exercise.
The Abuja court also instructed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to steer clear of recognising or supervising the event.
Despite the judicial standoff, the party’s preparations continued unabated. By Friday morning, the Lekan Salami Stadium venue of the convention had been fully decorated in the PDP’s signature red, white, and green colours.
Party officials conducted on-site inspections, while delegates from across the country streamed into the Oyo State capital in readiness for the gathering.
The PDP, through its official communications, shared images from the stadium, declaring that all was in place for what it described as a convention pivotal to reshaping the party’s direction ahead of the 2027 general elections.
On Thursday night, key stakeholders met at the Bauchi State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.
Attendees included members of the National Working Committee, serving and former governors, federal lawmakers, members of the Board of Trustees, and state chairmen.
In a unanimous resolution, they affirmed that the November 15 and 16 dates would not be altered, dismissing claims earlier in the day by a faction led by Sam Anyanwu that the convention had been postponed.
The Damagum-led leadership immediately countered the postponement announcement, insisting that preparations must continue.
Amid the intensifying dispute, former Senate President Bukola Saraki waded into the crisis with a different proposal.
Writing on his X account, Saraki urged the PDP to suspend the convention altogether and instead install a caretaker committee to manage the party’s affairs temporarily.
According to him, such an arrangement would “restore confidence, promote reconciliation, and ensure the stability” of the party at a time when its internal cohesion is under strain.
Saraki, who previously governed Kwara State on the party’s platform, stressed that the caretaker option would ease concerns among members hoping to contest future elections under the PDP.
Despite the legal battles and political disagreements, the mood in Ibadan suggests that the party machinery is determined to proceed.
Delegates interviewed at the venue expressed optimism that the convention would hold as scheduled, describing it as essential to re-energising the opposition ahead of the next election cycle.
As the convention dates draw closer, all eyes remain on whether last-minute legal interventions or internal negotiations will alter the party’s current trajectory or whether the PDP will defy the turbulence and march ahead with its most consequential gathering in years.
