The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has said the recent challenges have not diminished it but have refined it to take its rightful place in the nation’s political discourse.

Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee, Abdulrahman Mohammed, at the inauguration of the National Convention Planning and Organising Committee in Abuja on Saturday, described PDP as a beautiful bride, radiant with renewed political prospect, ready to reclaim its rightful place in the national space.

“Our journey to this point has not been without challenges. For over a year, our party has navigated complex legal and judicial issues.

“Yet, through resilience, wisdom, and a shared commitment to unity, we have emerged not diminished, but refined,” Mohammed stated.

He said that the recent Court of Appeal judgement, which is widely regarded as a “no victor, no vanquished” verdict, offers the party a philosophical anchor.

“It reminds us that true triumph lies not in individual victories, but in collective survival and institutional continuity.

“It calls us to rise above divisions and embrace reconciliation as a higher virtue,” he added.

The caretaker committee chairman said PDP is one, united and open to broader engagement, and extended a hand of fellowship to other members of the party.

According to him, PDP believes that genuine reconciliation will deepen unity, strengthen solidarity, and reposition it for greater national service.

He commended the agents of peace initiative within the ranks of the party and the commitment and sacrifices of PDP leaders.

“We also warmly welcome our brothers and sisters who have returned to the family fold.

“The PDP remains a broad and accommodating platform, ever willing to reconcile and rebuild,” Mohammed said.

He charged members of the committee to take the responsibility entrusted to them seriously and deliver a National Convention that will stand on the pillars of legality, legitimacy, and inclusiveness.

“I urge you to discharge your responsibilities with diligence, impartiality, and a deep sense of duty to the party and the nation.

“Let us be guided by a simple yet profound truth.

“Yesterday is beyond our correction, but today is within our control, and tomorrow is ours to determine.

“Let us learn from yesterday’s lessons, act with wisdom today, and together shape a glorious future for our party and our country,” he demanded.

National Organising Secretary, Umaru Bature, told members of the committee that there might be some challenges but expressed the belief that the party is on the right course.

Chairman of the PDP National Convention Committee, Dr Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, said the committee members are aware of the trust reposed in them, describing it as a call “not for comfort, but for courage; not for routine, but for resolve.”

The former Abia State governor pledged the determination of the members to “help steer our great party through this defining chapter in its history.”

Ikpazu, an ambassador designate to Qatar, said the convention will be more than a gathering of PDP members, but “a reckoning. A moment of truth. A test of whether the Peoples Democratic Party can rise above its recent trials and reclaim its rightful place as the oldest and nationally entrenched political party in Nigeria.”

He stated that the party has passed through a difficult phase, one marked by internal disagreements, institutional strain, and a protracted legal battle that travelled from the Federal High Courts to the Court of Appeal, a period that tested not only its structures but the very faith in the ideals that bind the party together.

“But today, we stand on the other side of that storm. The Court of Appeal’s affirmation of the National Caretaker Working Committee is not merely a legal victory; it is a moral and political reset.

“It offers us a rare opportunity to rebuild, to restore confidence, and to reaffirm the supremacy of due process and internal democracy within our party,” he added.

Ikpazu said history has offered the PDP a second chance, which “must not squander,” and assured that the work of the committee will be guided by transparency, fairness, and integrity.

“Let every delegate leave this convention with confidence in the process. Let every stakeholder see justice not just done, but seen to be done.

“Our mission is simple but profound: to deliver a smooth, transparent, and widely accepted convention that will produce a competent and credible National Working Committee, one capable of repositioning the PDP for victory in the 2027 general elections.”