Former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has called on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to suspend its forthcoming national convention scheduled for November 15 and 16, 2025, in Ibadan, Oyo State, citing unresolved legal and political challenges threatening the credibility of the exercise.
Saraki made the appeal in a statement posted on his official X handle on Wednesday night after meeting with members of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) Reconciliation Committee, led by Ambassador Hassan Adamu. The committee visited him at his Abuja residence to discuss strategies for restoring peace within the party.
Describing the meeting as “meaningful and incisive,” the former Kwara State governor said discussions centred on key issues affecting the PDP’s unity and long-term stability.
He lamented that despite the efforts of well-meaning party leaders to foster reconciliation, the planned convention had become mired in “political and legal wrangling,” warning that the situation could jeopardise the party’s credibility.
Saraki expressed concern over conflicting court orders concerning the validity of the convention, cautioning that proceeding under such uncertainty could render the outcome legally questionable.
“As it stands, there is no assurance that the conduct and outcome of the convention will stand,” he said. “Political matters are best resolved through dialogue, not litigation. Resorting to the courts only deepens divisions.”
He added that as a responsible party member, he could not support an action that might further fracture the PDP or endanger its electoral prospects.
To avert a potential crisis, Saraki urged the BoT to recommend the creation of a Caretaker Committee within the next two days to oversee the party’s affairs and rebuild confidence among members.
“This is the path to genuine reconciliation and stability,” he said. “It will also reassure members who wish to contest elections under the PDP platform that their ambitions are secure.”
Saraki maintained that moving ahead with the Ibadan convention would “only fuel the existing crisis and waste valuable effort,” stressing that the current environment was unsuitable for such a major political event.
“In the present circumstance, no serious politician with electoral ambition will contest under the PDP platform, unsure whether their nomination will be valid or nullified,” he said.
“It is clear that going ahead with the National Convention in Ibadan on November 15–16, 2025, will only deepen the crisis. Therefore, proceeding as scheduled is a waste of effort and does not have my support.”
The PDP has been engulfed in internal strife in recent weeks, with suspensions and counter-suspensions among senior figures intensifying divisions. The National Working Committee (NWC), led by Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum, recently suspended National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu and others over alleged anti-party activities.
In response, the Anyanwu faction dismissed the NWC’s action as illegal and announced the suspension of Damagum and some committee members, further fracturing the party’s leadership.
The situation worsened after a Federal High Court in Abuja issued an order halting the national convention, citing procedural irregularities. Despite the ruling, the party’s leadership has vowed to proceed, insisting that the court lacked jurisdiction to stop the event.
