The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, said the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) will recover its mandate for former governors of the party who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Wike at the PDP National Convention of the party in Abuja on Sunday, said that leaving the party at the moment of crisis showed that the governors lacked leadership quality.
About nine PDP governors defected to the APC, including Rivers State governor, Sim Fubara. But Wike told them that their reelection would depend on their performance and not on the performance of President Bola Tinubu.
The Minister who commended members for remaining with the party during its trying period, stated that they “refused to be downcast when those who pretended to be leaders of the party betrayed you disgracefully.”
According to him, they survived the taunts of the naysayers who proclaimed “your party dead as if they were God; you painstakingly stayed the course of the night in the stubborn faith that morning would inevitably come, and here we are, with that morning certainly before us.
“You have in the process, put to shame the cynics who never believed our party would rise again.
“Together, we are standing on the positive side of history with renewed energy, vision, and purpose, more united and committed to the task of making Nigeria a truly prosperous country.”
The faction which christened its national convention ‘inclusive’ to elect new leaders of the party was, however, boycotted by the faction loyal to Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, including the two remaining governors of the party, Bala Mohammed and Seyi Makinde.
There, however appear to be a shift of alliance with some members previously with the faction in attendance at the Abuja convention.
Among the new alliance includes Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who chaired the entertainment subcommittee of last year’s Ibadan convention, where Turaki’s National Working Committee (NWC) was elected.
Also at the Abuja convention are Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro and Senator Abdul Ningi, a loyalist of former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Former Kaduna State governor, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, who last year resigned as Secretary of Senator Adolphus Wabara-led Board of Trustees (BoT), former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, former first lady of Niger State, Senator Zainabu Kure and former PDP acting National Chairman, Abubakar Kawu Baraje, were also in attendance.
The convention was monitored by representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), including two National Commissioners – Prof Sani Adams (SAN) and Dr Ken Ukeagu.
Party leaders who spoke at the occasion called for unity, peace and reconciliation in the party.
Saraki said the convention was more than just a gathering, describing it as a reflection of unity and strength across the party.
He emphasised the need for selflessness, noting that sacrifice, justice, equity, and fairness must guide leadership.
The former Senate President stressed the importance of rebuilding the party and strengthening its vision for national progress, and urged party members to remain united and committed, “adding that everyone has a role to play in moving the country forward.”
He called for teamwork, selflessness, and dedication to national recovery.
The Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee, Alhaji Abdulrahman Mohammed, who was returned as National Chairman of the party, said the convention was not just about elections but restoration; “not just about offices, it is about order, not just about positions, it is about purpose.”
Alhaji Mohammed stated that the convention was for the renewal of the party and expressed confidence that the PDP would emerge stronger and united after the convention.
Former Abia State governor, Dr Okezie Ikpazu, who was Chairman of the National Convention Planning Committee, charged the new party leadership to act decisively to heal divisions, rebuild trust, restore discipline, and strengthen internal democracy across all levels of the party structure.
Dr. Ikpazu reminded the party of the theme of the convention, which is inclusiveness, unity, and renewal, and said it should serve not merely as a guiding principle, but as a binding commitment.
“Let inclusiveness define our engagements; let unity shape our actions; let renewal guide our mission.
“Let these not be empty words, but living principles that drive our conduct from the National Working Committee down to the ward level across the federation,” he said.
The former governor stated that the convention should not be merely ceremonial, but consequential and a moment of reckoning, “a moment that will determine whether the Peoples Democratic Party can rise above its recent challenges and reclaim its rightful position as Nigeria’s leading political platform.
