Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the factional Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Taminu Turaki (SAN), said the party has woken up from its slumber and is now correcting its past mistakes that drowned it in crises.
Turaki, who has the backing of the Oyo and Bauchi governors, Seyi Makinde and Bala Mohammed, spoke on Wednesday in Abuja during the party’s Board of Trustees meeting.
In his remarks, Turaki acknowledged the enormous responsibility entrusted to the new leadership and pledged to prioritise reconciliation.
“We have had our ups and downs. We fought ourselves and we fought each other. Some fought us from within and from without,” he said.
Now is the time for peace. One of the cardinal principles of this leadership is reconciliation. We believe there is no dispute or disagreement that cannot be resolved where there is a common objective and collective will to strengthen the party.”
He said the PDP’s strength lies at the grassroots, stressing that the party must return to the people.
“We have realised the mistakes we made, and we are ready to correct them—not only with our members, but with all Nigerians,” Turaki said.
You knew us, you trusted us, we made mistakes, but we are waking up from our slumber. We are ready to correct those mistakes. We ask Nigerians to trust us again.”
Also speaking, the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara, described the Ibadan convention, which produced the Turaki-led National Working Committee as a firm affirmation of the PDP’s commitment to internal democracy, transparency and constitutional order, stressing that the moment calls for reconciliation and collective healing.
“From the early days of this leadership, the signs are clear: the party is being repositioned, structures are being strengthened and confidence is being restored across the federation,” he said.
“These are giant strides that give hope not just to party members, but to millions of Nigerians who see the PDP as a credible alternative to the present state of affairs.
“However, as we celebrate progress, we must also embrace unity. This is a moment that calls for reconciliation and healing. I appeal to all aggrieved members at every level of the party to sheath their swords and return fully to the PDP family.
“Nigerians today are confronted with unprecedented hardship, rising insecurity, economic uncertainty and a loss of faith in governance under the APC-led government. At such a time, the PDP must not be divided; we must stand together as a united force, ready to rescue our nation.”
Wabara urged party members not to be discouraged by recent defections, insisting that the strength of the PDP lies in its deep connection with the Nigerian people.
The 2027 elections will not be about defections or propaganda,” he said. “They will be about the Nigerian people versus a failed government. And when that day comes, the PDP will stand firmly on the side of the people.
Meanwhile, a former presidential aspirant and pro-democracy activist, Dr Gbenga Hashim, said the PDP was not intimidated by what he described as legal and political manoeuvres aimed at weakening the opposition.
In a statement issued in Ilorin on Wednesday, Hashim alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress was sponsoring political subterfuge to emasculate opposition parties.
“Nigeria’s democracy cannot be reduced to a one-party state by intimidation or manipulation,” he said.
Hashim said Nigeria deliberately embraced multiparty democracy at independence to manage its ethnic, religious and regional diversity, noting that political plurality had always been central to the country’s evolution.
“Our democracy has never been a democracy of one star,” he said. “In our sky, there are thousands of stars.”
Drawing parallels with the failed self-succession agenda of the late military ruler, General Sani Abacha, Hashim said current efforts to weaken opposition parties would ultimately fail.
Just as the Abacha plot collapsed, this infantile machination will end in disaster for its authors,” he added.
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