Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has said he advised against the national convention organised in Ibadan by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction led by Kabiru Turaki, warning it would deepen internal divisions.
The convention, held in Ibadan on November 15 and 16, 2025, has since triggered a series of legal disputes, worsening the party’s crisis.
The situation escalated on March 9 when the Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld a Federal High Court ruling restraining the PDP from conducting the convention.
A three-member panel of the appellate court dismissed the party’s appeal challenging the jurisdiction of the lower court. Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam held that the PDP breached constitutional provisions guiding the conduct of its convention.
The court ruled that the party failed to give valid notice of the convention to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as required by law. It also found that congresses were not conducted in at least 14 states before the convention.
‘I warned Against Ibadan Convention’
Speaking on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television, Saraki said the Ibadan convention aggravated the party’s internal crisis.
He disclosed that the PDP reconciliation committee he chaired, alongside the party’s Board of Trustees, advised against holding the convention, but their recommendations were ignored.
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Saraki said he strongly opposed the move at the time and instead proposed the setting up of a caretaker committee as a stabilising measure.
According to him, the convention was ill-timed, as critical disagreements within the party had yet to be resolved.
He explained that conventions are meant to affirm decisions already agreed upon, not to address unresolved disputes, adding that issues such as incomplete congresses in some states and disagreements over zoning of positions were still pending.
Warnings Ignored, Crisis Deepens
Saraki said his committee repeatedly cautioned against proceeding with the convention, stressing that the current crisis and wave of litigation only emerged after the Ibadan meeting.
He noted that before the convention, the party had largely avoided factional splits and court cases.
The former Kwara State governor said the reconciliation committee worked for months to keep the PDP united despite mounting tensions.
He added that the team engaged governors and former governors to sustain unity, ensuring that the party continued to function, including holding meetings of its National Executive Committee, up until the period leading to the convention.
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.
