A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday convened a meeting of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) in Abuja, amid renewed efforts to stabilise the crisis-ridden opposition party.
Addressing the meeting, BoT Chairman, Mao Ohuabunwa, admitted that the PDP had passed through “turbulent times” in recent months, marked by internal disagreements, leadership disputes and protracted legal battles that have tested the party’s cohesion.
According to him, the party has survived the turmoil largely because of its commitment to constitutional order and respect for due process, values he said must continue to guide its actions at a critical moment in its history.
“The strength of the BoT lies in its ability to rise above factions and personal ambitions. Our mandate is to guide, counsel, reconcile and protect the long-term interests of the party,” Ohuabunwa said.
He urged party leaders to resist actions and rhetoric capable of undermining democratic institutions, noting that the PDP’s moral authority derives from fairness, balance and fidelity to the rule of law rather than partisanship.
Ohuabunwa specifically commended the recent judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, which nullified the November 15 national convention organised by the Kabiru Turaki-led faction, backed by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed.
“History will judge us kindly if it records that, at a critical moment, the PDP chose legality over expediency and patience over provocation,” he said.
He added that the party’s tradition of accommodating strong opinions and influential actors had been both its challenge and its strength, stressing the need to acknowledge leadership efforts aimed at keeping the PDP relevant in national political discourse, even amid disagreements.
Also speaking at the meeting, Chairman of the PDP Caretaker Committee, Abdulrahman Mohammed, said the party would soon roll out a timetable for congresses in some states as part of moves to organise a seamless national convention.
Mohammed insisted that the PDP remained the only political party “built and centred on people structures, national coherence and verifiable legacies,” warning that internal disarray must not be allowed to erode its standing.
“We cannot afford for this party to sleep in our hands,” he said.
The PDP is currently polarised between two factions, the Wike-backed group led by Mohammed and the Kabiru Turaki faction supported by Governors Makinde and Mohammed, deepening uncertainty over the party’s future direction.