By Chika Eze, Abuja
The Reconciliation Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has submitted its report to the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), expressing confidence that its recommendations will help restore internal cohesion and ensure a peaceful and credible national convention.
The committee, chaired by Ambassador Hassan Adamu, was inaugurated on November 5, 2025, following directives from the BoT to investigate lingering disputes within the party and recommend measures for unity ahead of the forthcoming national convention.
Speaking during the presentation of the report in Abuja, Ambassador Adamu expressed gratitude to the BOT leadership for the confidence reposed in the committee, noting that the assignment was both critical and challenging given the political tensions within the party.
“First of all, we would like to thank the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for nominating us to look into the issues that would enable us to have a free and fair convention. From the onset, we knew it was not going to be an easy task, but since it was a reconciliation mission, we did our very best,” Adamu stated.
He disclosed that the committee held extensive consultations with various stakeholders and organs of the party, including the PDP Governors’ Forum, the National Working Committee (NWC), and several aggrieved leaders, to ensure inclusiveness in its findings and recommendations.
“We have gone round, spoken to leaders across different segments of our party, and come up with recommendations that will ensure a hitch-free convention. It has been a difficult but necessary assignment,” he added.
Committee Findings
Presenting a detailed account of the committee’s activities, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe, who served as the committee’s secretary, said the group hit the ground running immediately after inauguration, holding its inaugural meeting and mapping out an engagement strategy despite time constraints.
He said the committee first met with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, with whom it held useful deliberations before proceeding to engage the PDP Governors’ Forum, led by its Chairman. “We had meaningful discussions with the Chairman of the Governors’ Forum. Although some governors had pressing official assignments and could not stay throughout, they authorized the Chairman to deliberate with us,” Oghiadomhe explained.
The committee also met with members of the National Working Committee, led by the Deputy National Chairman, who represented the Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum.
Ten NWC members attended the meeting, while five sent apologies. “They took their time to present their positions, which are fully documented in this report,” Oghiadomhe said.
In a further bid to ensure balance, the committee also met with suspended national officers, including the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the National Organising Secretary, and the National Legal Adviser.
The meeting, held at Senator Anyanwu’s residence, provided valuable perspectives from another faction within the party.
“They took their time and spoke frankly. We also met with other senior leaders such as former Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki, who gave insightful advice on how to reconcile differing interests and sustain party unity,” Oghiadomhe revealed.
After collating views from all the engagements, the committee deliberated extensively and produced a report containing key observations and recommendations aimed at charting a roadmap for “sustainable and progressive party administration.”
Oghiadomhe presented six copies of the report, along with two annexures containing documents gathered during consultations, to the BOT for further deliberation and action.
“We appreciate the confidence reposed in us and believe our work has provided a solid foundation to rebuild trust and reposition the PDP,” he concluded.
Party’s Readiness
Responding after receiving the report, Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara, expressed optimism that the party’s national convention would still hold as scheduled, despite legal distractions and calls from some quarters for a caretaker committee.
“It is absolutely practicable for us to go ahead with the convention,” Wabara declared. “All the organs of the party — the Governors’ Forum, the NWC, and the BOT — have agreed that the convention will hold.”
He, however, stressed that the PDP remains a law-abiding political organisation and would comply with any valid court orders should legal rulings affect the convention’s timetable.
Wabara lamented that frequent litigations and conflicting court orders have been used by some members to stall the party’s progress, even when the Supreme Court has already set guiding precedents.
“You don’t make conflicting orders when the Supreme Court has already deliberated on a matter. But in Nigeria, anything goes,” he remarked, adding that “as far as the organs of the party are concerned, the convention will go on unless stopped by a competent court.”
Self-Inflicted Problems
Responding to a question on whether the BOT’s intervention came too late, the BOT Chairman dismissed the notion, insisting that the Board has been consistent in its stabilizing efforts within the party.
“There is no real crisis in PDP; what we have are self-inflicted problems driven by personal and elective interests,” Wabara said. “Some people want the party weakened now so they can resurrect it later for their own political purposes.”
He maintained that the PDP remains the strongest platform for Nigerians and the masses, emphasising that the BOT’s overriding objective is to keep the party alive and united. “PDP is a party for Nigerians — for the ordinary people. Killing opposition is not good for democracy. Even those against the convention need the party now and will still need it tomorrow,” he stated.
Wabara, a former Senate President and diplomat, said that the BOT has had to operate with limited resources, which has hindered its capacity to execute some of its earlier intervention plans.
“After the 2023 elections, the BoT set up a committee on code of conduct headed by Senator David Mark. Unfortunately, the Board has no budget of its own, and those who were expected to fund the exercise did not do so. That affected our efforts,” he revealed.
He, however, assured members that the BoT remains resolute in its commitment to guide the party through its current challenges and ensure that internal democracy prevails.
“Whatever decision we take under my watch will be aimed at keeping the party strong and united. We will not wash our dirty linens in public, but we will do what is right to save the PDP,” Wabara concluded.