The Peoples Democratic Party Board of Trustees (BoT) has begun steps to resolve the lingering leadership crisis within the party by setting up a special committee to facilitate reconciliation among aggrieved stakeholders.
The decision was reached during an expanded emergency meeting of the BoT held in Abuja on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In a communiqué presented after the meeting, the BoT Chairman, Adolphus Wabara, said the board also approved the appointment of former Niger State governor, Babangida Aliyu, as Secretary of the BoT in line with Section 32 of the PDP Constitution as amended in 2017.
The meeting was convened to deliberate on the leadership situation in the party following the March 9, 2026 judgment of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria, Abuja Division, which nullified the PDP National Convention held between November 15 and 16, 2025.
The convention had produced a National Working Committee led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki.
While the BoT expressed disagreement with the appellate court’s ruling, it said the party was currently awaiting legal advice from its lawyers on the next steps to take.
The board also raised concerns over what it described as avoidable internal disputes and leadership wrangling that have led to damaging legal battles, warning that such developments have negatively affected the unity and smooth functioning of the party as Nigeria’s major opposition platform.
Despite its disagreement with the ruling, the BoT acknowledged the reconciliation window provided in the judgment delivered by the Ibadan Division of the appellate court and resolved to explore it as part of efforts to restore unity within the party.
As part of this move, the board constituted a special committee tasked with engaging the party’s legal teams and other key stakeholders in order to facilitate reconciliation and bring an end to the protracted leadership dispute.
Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal of Nigeria sitting in Ibadan has granted parties involved in the dispute over the party’s elective convention the opportunity to pursue an out-of-court settlement.
Justice Biobele Georgewill, who led the three-member panel of the appellate court, adjourned the case indefinitely to allow the parties time to explore reconciliation.
During the proceedings, Justice Georgewill urged the parties and their lawyers to take advantage of the opportunity to resolve their differences amicably in the interest of the party.
He also advised them to be mindful of the timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission ahead of the 2027 general elections.
