The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has named former Senate President Bukola Saraki as the head of a newly constituted reconciliation committee, in a bid to address deepening internal rifts ahead of its crucial National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting slated for the end of May.
The move was agreed upon during a high-level meeting on Sunday night at the Abuja residence of Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, who also chairs the PDP Governors’ Forum.
Present at the meeting were several serving governors, including Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), and Peter Mbah (Enugu). Former governors in attendance included Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Achike Udenwa (Imo), Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Osun), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa). Also present were Acting PDP National Chairman Umar Damagun, former Caretaker Committee Chairman Ahmed Makarfi, and members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
Notably, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, was also in attendance but declined to address the media after the meeting.
Speaking to journalists afterward, Governor Bala Mohammed said the gathering was a strategic effort to restore unity and prepare the party for its NEC meeting and national convention later this year.
“We invited our former governors and leaders to tap into their wealth of experience. Their input is crucial as we work to address internal challenges and strengthen the party,” he said.
The Saraki-led committee is tasked with engaging aggrieved members and stakeholders to halt further defections and rebuild confidence within the party.
When asked about recent defections, particularly that of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and former governor Ifeanyi Okowa to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bala downplayed their impact.
“Rather than weaken us, the defections are helping us re-strategize. We are already working to reclaim states currently under threat,” he stated.
Since the 2023 general elections, the PDP has been plagued by internal divisions, worsened by the protracted feud between former Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike and his successor, Siminalayi Fubara. Efforts by the party’s NWC, Board of Trustees, and Governors’ Forum to reconcile warring factions have so far yielded limited results.
The crisis escalated on April 23, when Oborevwori, Okowa, and several others officially joined the APC. The party also suffered losses in the National Assembly with the defection of three senators from Kebbi State—Adamu Aliero, Yahaya Abdullahi, and Garba Maidoki—after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu.
These developments have raised alarm among opposition leaders about a potential drift toward a one-party state. However, with Saraki’s appointment, the PDP leadership appears committed to forging a new path toward party unity and electoral readiness.
