Kwara PDP to attend National Convention in Abuja
The Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has resolved to participate in the party’s upcoming national convention scheduled for March 29, 2026, in Abuja.
The decision was reached during an emergency meeting of party leaders, elders, stakeholders, and aspirants held on Wednesday at the party secretariat in Ilorin.
State Chairman, Alhaji Isa Bawa, who read the communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, said the resolution followed extensive deliberations on the leadership crisis currently affecting the party at the national level.
He explained that the meeting was convened to determine whether Kwara delegates should attend the convention, especially after the state’s participation in the earlier convention held in Ibadan in November 2025.
“The stakeholders agreed that we should send our delegates to fully participate in the forthcoming national convention in Abuja on March 29,” Bawa said, noting that the outcome of the convention would guide the party’s next line of action.
He added, “It was also resolved that if the national convention is successful and monitored by the regulatory body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as required by law, stakeholders will reconvene to review the situation and advise our leaders on using the PDP as a platform for the 2027 general elections.”
Bawa maintained that despite the ongoing national crisis, the party remains stable and retains widespread support across Kwara State.
In his remarks, a governorship aspirant, Professor Ali Ahmad, disclosed that the Kwara chapter withdrew from the Ibadan convention after discovering the absence of INEC officials at the event.
He further stated that although the state chapter does not align with any faction, its decision to participate in the March 29 convention was influenced by a recent Appeal Court judgment, which recognised the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led leadership.
Ahmad, a former Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, expressed confidence that the March 29 convention would comply with legal requirements and reposition the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
PDP leadership crisis
The March 29 convention comes amid a protracted leadership crisis within the PDP, with rival factions laying claim to the party’s national structure.
Recall that the November 2025 convention in Ibadan produced a leadership team headed by Kabiru Turaki. The party leadership was subsequently handed over to the Turaki-led executives from the then Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, ahead of the expiration of his tenure on December 9.
However, a rival faction loyal to Nyesom Wike later constituted a 13-member caretaker committee, appointing Abdulrahman Mohammed as Acting National Chairman and Senator Samuel Anyanwu as Acting National Secretary, with a 60-day mandate.
Tensions escalated on November 18 when both factions attempted to hold parallel meetings at the PDP National Secretariat, prompting the Nigeria Police Force to seal off the premises.
The dispute led to a series of legal battles, culminating in a February 12, 2026 hearing at the Court of Appeal. In its ruling on March 9, 2026, the court nullified the Ibadan convention, declaring that it violated the Electoral Act, the Nigerian Constitution, and the party’s constitution.
The forthcoming March 29 convention is widely seen as a significant boost for the Wike-aligned faction as the PDP prepares for the 2027 general elections.
