…Urges PDP to Hold Fresh Convention or Risk 2027 Ballot Trouble
By | Ibrahim Kashim, Abuja
Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has urged leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to end the wave of litigation over the party’s disputed leadership and quickly organise a fresh national convention, warning that further delays could put the party’s participation in the 2027 general election at risk.
Saraki made the call on Tuesday after the Court of Appeal upheld earlier decisions nullifying the PDP national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, in November 2025, a gathering that produced a leadership team led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki.
In his reaction, Saraki said the party no longer had the luxury of waiting for a prolonged legal battle to run its full course, especially with the electoral timetable already closing in on major pre election activities.
He said the priority should now be to protect the interest of party members hoping to contest elective offices on the PDP platform in 2027.
AkwaIbomTimes learnt that Saraki, in a statement issued through his media office, cautioned that continuing the leadership dispute up to the Supreme Court could leave the opposition party struggling to complete the process required for candidate nomination.
He argued that the court had spoken and that party stakeholders should shift attention from personal grievances to reconciliation and institutional survival.
According to him, any further uncertainty over the party’s leadership could also cast doubt on the validity of tickets issued to aspirants and candidates seeking to contest under the PDP.
His intervention comes at a delicate moment for the opposition party, which has been battling internal division for months. The crisis deepened after rival blocs emerged over the control of the party’s national structure, with one camp backing the convention that produced Turaki and another insisting that the caretaker arrangement should remain in place pending a valid convention.
AkwaIbomTimes further learnt that the Court of Appeal decision effectively reinforced the earlier position of the Federal High Court, which had voided the Ibadan convention and recognised the caretaker structure pending the conduct of a valid national convention.
The development has heightened fears within the party that the prolonged crisis could weaken its readiness for the 2027 polls, especially as other political parties begin aligning their structures with the Independent National Electoral Commission timetable.
Reports indicate that under the revised schedule for the 2027 general election, party primaries are expected to begin in late April 2026 and end in May, while other nomination related processes are expected to follow shortly after. That has increased pressure on parties to resolve internal disputes early enough to meet regulatory deadlines.
Saraki said the only practical path open to the PDP was to stop all legal hostilities and work within the existing arrangements to convene a new convention that complies with electoral rules and timelines.
He also appealed to aggrieved leaders to rise above factional interests and act in the broader interest of the party, warning that failure to do so could frustrate the ambitions of many grassroots members preparing to contest for seats in state assemblies, the National Assembly, governorship positions and the presidency.
The latest warning adds to growing concern over the future of the PDP, once Nigeria’s dominant ruling party, but now under intense strain from defections, leadership disputes and weakening internal cohesion.
With the countdown to the 2027 elections already underway, the party now faces a narrowing window to restore order, rebuild confidence and avoid a deeper constitutional and electoral setback.
