The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples D e m o c r a t i c Party (PDP) has set up a committee to reconcile the warring factions of the party. The six-man committee, which has one week to report to the board, is headed by Ambassador Hassan Adamu, PDP member from North East.

The membership of the committee, which is drawn from each of the six geo-political zones of the country, has former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe (South South), as Secretary.

PDP BoT Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, who read a communique issued after the board’s meeting in Abuja yesterday, said as the conscience of the party, the BoT cannot and will not take sides in the crisis.

Wabara, however, said: “The BoT solidly stands with and commends the Amb. Iliya Damagum-led National Working Committee (NWC), the PDP Governors Forum, the National Convention Organising Committee and other critical organs of the party for their collective roles in stabilising our party.”

He described the tensions and misunderstandings in the party, including the invasion of the National Secretariat, as regrettable, and said they are not reflective of the ideals and character of the PDP.

“As the conscience of the party, the BoT cannot and will not take sides but remain focused on safeguarding the integrity of the PDP and ensuring dialogue over discord. “The decision for reconciliation is not as a sign of weakness, but as a demonstration of maturity and responsibility,” he said.

According to him, no ambition, grievance or factional loyalty can over ride the collective interest of the PDP, and welcomed the ruling of the Oyo State High Court, presided over by Justice A L Akintola “which affirmed the constitutional right and liberty of our party to manage its internal affairs including holding our 2025 Elective National Convention as scheduled.

“This landmark ruling is a victory for democracy, rule of law and political development in our country.” PDP National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, said what PDP needed most was reconciliation, not vengeance, anger, or blame. “We needed to heal the wounds opened after the 2023 general elections,” he said.

Damagum stated that the next NWC members of the party should be made up of men and women of integrity, capable of reviving the PDP’s traditional structures, and inspiring new members across the federation. Damagum noted that some members of the party felt he was taking sides “because I refused to indulge in the vindictiveness of punishing those they wanted punished.”