The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has inaugurated its Venue Subcommittee for the forthcoming National Convention, scheduled to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15–16, 2025.
PDP has declared its readiness to host one of the most organised and unifying conventions in its history despite recent defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
At the inauguration in Abuja, Chairman of the Venue Subcommittee and Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Mr. Adebayo Lawal, tasked members to take their assignments seriously, describing the venue as “the heartbeat of any successful convention.”
“As you know from experience, the venue of any convention is key and critical to the success of that convention. A convention of this nature cannot and must not be held in an atmosphere of chaos and instability,” Mr Lawal stated.
He revealed that the committee has established ten specialised sub-committees to handle various logistical areas, with over 220 members mobilised to ensure a seamless event. He stressed that the venue team provides the structural backbone for all other subcommittees.
“Without the venue, there’s nothing we can really do by way of convention. We have rolled into action, and we assure Nigerians that we would have a seamless convention,” he added.
Lawal expressed confidence that the PDP remains focused on its mission to return to power in 2027, describing the Ibadan convention as a strategic platform to strengthen unity, consolidate internal structures, and present the party as a credible alternative to Nigerians.
The Secretary of the Subcommittee, Hon. Stanley Adedeji, underscored the strategic and symbolic importance of the committee’s task.
He urged members to approach their assignments with transparency, discipline, and teamwork to reflect the PDP’s ethos of unity, progress, and service.
Party leaders, including Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, Deputy National Chairman (South), and Tanimu Turaki (SAN), Deputy Chairman of the National Convention Organising Committee, attended the event alongside members of the National Working Committee, senators, and House of Representatives members.
Defections: PDP Dismisses Movements to APC
Meanwhile, the party leadership has downplayed the recent wave of defections to the APC, including speculation about the defection of Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, describing them as politically motivated and induced by coercion, rather than driven by policy or ideology.
Reacting to the reports in Abuja, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, said the party is not distracted by such developments and remains focused on strengthening democratic institutions and preparing for a credible convention.
Ologunagba noted that the party is aware of ongoing inducements at the National Assembly aimed at luring lawmakers to defect, but maintained that such tactics cannot weaken the PDP’s grassroots support.
“There is so much unnecessary attention to defections. The defections you claim happened or are likely to happen are not based on policy or principle; they are induced by coercion, intimidation, and harassment, and that has been the policy of the APC,” he said.
He emphasised that Nigerians are not “defecting from hunger,” stressing that the APC-led government has failed to address the country’s economic hardship, insecurity, and governance failures.
“Nigerians have not decamped from hunger. If they are going to decamp from hunger, they will be decamping to the PDP, which represents prosperity and hope. This is not sloganeering; it’s based on our track record of performance,” he declared.
Ologunagba maintained that the PDP’s strength lies not in individuals but in the people and its institutional structures, recalling that the party survived major defections in 2015 and rebuilt to reclaim significant ground by 2019.
“The strength of the PDP is not in any single individual or group. It lies in the people who have a connection with our party. We’ve gone through this before and came out stronger. The train of the convention is already in Ibadan, no force can stop it,” he stated.
On the appointment of a new INEC Chairman, Ologunagba urged the Senate to carry out a thorough confirmation process, stressing the need for strong institutions and credible electoral processes to sustain Nigeria’s democracy.
He warned that Nigerians would no longer tolerate excuses such as “glitches” or inconclusive elections.
“The world is watching. INEC must deliver a credible process that inspires confidence. Democracy works when people believe in the process that produces their leaders,” he said.
The PDP leadership reiterated that the Ibadan convention will be a defining moment for the party, as it rallies members nationwide to unite and prepare for the 2027 general elections, even as it confronts defections and political maneuvering by the ruling party.