A former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Kabiru Turaki (SAN), has been elected as the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Turaki emerged victorious at the party’s national convention held at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan, Oyo State, where delegates from 17 states cast their votes for new national officers.
Announcing the results, a former lawmaker representing Anambra Central, Senator Ben Obi, said Turaki scored 1,516 votes, while Senator Yakubu Danmarke received 275 votes. He added that 1,834 votes were cast, out of which 43 were voided.
“It is therefore clear that from the votes cast that Timinu Turaki has won the position of the National Chairman of the PDP with a total of 1,516 votes,” Obi declared. He also confirmed that Solarin Adekunle emerged as the Deputy National Organising Secretary.
He noted that two national positions were contested during the convention. A total of 3,131 delegates participated, while 2,745 delegates were accredited.
In his acceptance speech, Turaki assured party members that the confidence reposed in him would not be taken for granted. He pledged to uphold the mandate and return the party to its core values.
Recalling the PDP’s history, he said:
“Today, as I talk to you, the only political party that has retained its name is the Peoples Democratic Party. This has been possible because this is the party for the Nigerian people. Make no mistake about it; we are returning the party to you, the people. There will be no more impunity.”
He promised that the PDP would listen to Nigerians, reunite its members, and work to bring back those who had left the party.
“We will appeal to you to come back because the task ahead of us is saving Nigerian democracy, saving Nigeria from the precipice,” he added.
Turaki also said the party would soon release its guiding principles and “hit the ground running.”
Turaki, 54, hails from Kebbi State and studied Law at the University of Jos before being called to the Bar in Lagos. With over 25 years of post-qualification experience, he was a candidate in the 2011 Kebbi State governorship election and served as a Minister under former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan from February 2013.
The Ibadan convention was attended by key party figures including Governors Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), and Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), alongside the PDP National Chairman, Umar Damagum.
Other dignitaries included Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro; former Osun State Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola; former Gombe State Governor Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo; and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara.
The convention proceeded despite ongoing litigation challenging its legitimacy, reflecting the party’s unresolved internal leadership crisis.
