PDP forges ahead with Ibadan national convention amid court chaos, Saraki’s boycott call
Delegates gather as party leadership insists it has met constitutional requirements, while a prominent chieftain warns of deepening crisis.
Despite a cloud of conflicting court orders and internal dissent, delegates and leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have begun arriving in Ibadan, Oyo State, for its planned national convention this weekend.
The party’s National Vice Chairman (South-West), Kamorudeen Ajisafe, confirmed that the PDP has secured delegates from at least two-thirds of the country’s 36 states, meeting the constitutional threshold for a valid convention. “Even if you don’t have all 36 states, you are still good to go with two-thirds,” Ajisafe stated.
Addressing the legal disputes arising from contradictory rulings by courts in Abuja and Ibadan, Ajisafe argued that the orders are not binding.
“When there are conflicting judgments of courts of coordinate jurisdiction… it’s only a superior court that can give direction,” he explained, asserting that the convention will proceed.
He also dismissed concerns about the absence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), stating that the party had fulfilled all statutory notice requirements under the Electoral Act 2022.
In a starkly contrasting move, former Senate President Bukola Saraki has called for the convention to be halted.
After a meeting with the party’s Board of Trustees Reconciliation Team, Saraki warned that proceeding would “further fuel the present crisis” and pose a threat to Nigerian democracy.
He urged the party to instead establish a Caretaker Committee to temporarily manage its affairs and resolve ongoing disputes.
“It is clear that going ahead with the National Convention… will only serve to further fuel the present crisis. Therefore, going ahead with the Convention as scheduled is a waste of efforts. It does not have my support,” Saraki declared.
He cited the conflicting court orders as creating an unacceptable level of uncertainty about the convention’s legitimacy.
In response to Saraki’s proposal, Ajisafe warned that forming a caretaker committee would further destabilize the party, suggesting that the convention itself should decide on such a path forward.
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