PDP STORMS IBADAN, ELECTS EX-MINISTER KABIRU TURAKI AS NATIONAL CHAIRMAN IN HIGH-STAKES UNITY CONVENTION

In a dramatic political resurgence aimed at rebuilding Nigeria’s oldest opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday elected former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, as its new National Chairman.

The keenly watched national convention, held at the iconic Liberty Stadium in Ibadan, was described by party insiders as a “strategic unity exercise to rebuild, restructure, and reposition the PDP ahead of the 2027 general election.”

Turaki, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and long-standing PDP power broker, emerged unopposed after his challenger, Lado Danmarke — the party’s 2023 governorship candidate in Katsina — dramatically withdrew from the race. Despite stepping down, Danmarke still amassed 275 delegate votes, signaling lingering pockets of dissent within the party’s northern political blocs.

Turaki cruised to victory with a commanding 1,516 votes, officially taking over the top job that had been zoned to the North in line with the party’s rotational power policy — a policy further reinforced when the PDP agreed in August to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South.

The convention results also saw Solarin Sunday Adekunle elected Deputy National Organising Secretary with 633 votes, while elections into the offices of Youth Leader and Deputy National Legal Adviser were stepped down pending further internal consultations — a subtle reflection of ongoing negotiations behind the scenes.

No fewer than 17 national positions were returned unopposed, reinforcing perceptions that powerful stakeholders had sealed a consensus agreement long before the first ballot was cast.

WHO STOOD BEHIND TURAKI?

Turaki’s ascendancy received a major boost after the influential North-West caucus threw its weight behind him during a series of decisive political meetings in early October.

The high-powered gathering featured political heavyweights including:

Governor Bala Mohammed (Bauchi)

Governor Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau)

Governor Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa)

Governor Dauda Lawal (Zamfara)

Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum

Former Senate President Bukola Saraki

Elder statesman Prof. Jerry Gana

Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro

Former Education Minister Ibrahim Shekarau, among others.


Their endorsement was widely viewed as a decisive factor in consolidating the party’s northern delegates behind Turaki’s candidacy.

CAN TURAKI HEAL A WOUNDED PARTY?

With multiple PDP-controlled states lost in the 2023 elections and old internal fractures yet to be resolved, the task before Kabiru Turaki is enormous. Analysts say his tenure will largely be judged by whether he can unify the party’s warring factions, restore public confidence, and mount a credible challenge to the ruling APC ahead of the 2027 polls.

For now, the message from Ibadan is clear: the PDP is attempting a reset — a rebirth — and Kabiru Turaki is the man chosen to lead the charge.

The opposition has fired its first shot on the road to 2027. Whether it hits the target remains to be seen.