“Today, we choose a higher path. We choose inclusiveness over exclusion, unity over division, and renewal over decline,” Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed declared at the 2026 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Convention held at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja on Sunday.
He stressed that the gathering was not about lamenting the party’s challenges but about rebuilding it. “The PDP has not come here to mourn itself; it has come here to renew itself. This convention is not just about elections or positions, but about restoration and order,” he said.
Addressing delegates, Mohammed described the moment as one of reflection and responsibility, coming after a turbulent period marked by internal disagreements and legal battles that tested the party’s unity.
The PDP has been grappling with a leadership crisis ahead of the convention. One faction, led by Tanimu Turaki and backed by Mohammed, is in contention with another group aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The party’s earlier convention in Ibadan in November 2025 sparked a series of legal disputes, deepening divisions within its ranks. The crisis escalated further when the Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld a Federal High Court ruling restraining the PDP from conducting its national convention. The appellate court, in its March 23 judgment delivered by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, ruled that the party had violated constitutional provisions guiding its convention process.
Despite the legal developments, Mohammed urged party members not to see the judgment as a win for one faction over another.
“The recent judicial decisions should not be viewed as victory for some and defeat for others. Rather, they remind us that institutions must be guided by law and leadership must follow due process. No party can survive outside constitutional order,” he said.
He called on party members to embrace reconciliation and unity as the PDP works to reposition itself ahead of future elections.
