The PDP has faced persistent internal crises since the 2023 elections
Details: PDP Appoints Saraki to Lead Reconciliation Committee Ahead of NEC Meeting
ABUJA, Nigeria, May 12, 2025 — The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has named former Senate President Bukola Saraki as head of a reconciliation committee to mend ties with aggrieved members before its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for late May.
The announcement followed a strategic meeting on Sunday night at the Abuja lodge of Bala Mohammed, Bauchi State Governor and Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum.
The meeting saw key attendees, including Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, who did not address the press, and governors Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), and Peter Mbah (Enugu). Former governors Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Achike Udenwa (Imo), Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Osun), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa) were also present, alongside PDP Acting National Chairman Umar Damagun, former Caretaker Committee Chairman Ahmed Markafi, and members of the National Working Committee.
Governor Mohammed, briefing journalists, said the meeting aimed to leverage the experience of former governors to resolve internal conflicts, ensuring a smooth NEC meeting and a national convention later this year. He downplayed recent defections, including that of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and his cabinet to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on April 23, asserting that such exits would strengthen the PDP. Mohammed added that the party is strategizing to reclaim states lost to defections.
The PDP has faced persistent internal crises since the 2023 elections, exacerbated by tensions between former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and his successor, Sim Fubara. Despite mediation efforts by the party’s leadership, including the National Working Committee, Board of Trustees, and Governors’ Forum, the conflicts remain unresolved. The defection of three Kebbi senators—Adamu Aliero, Yahaya Abdullahi, and Garba Maidoki—to the APC after meeting President Bola Tinubu has fueled concerns among opposition leaders about a potential shift toward a one-party state. Read More
