By Chika Eze, Abuja
Nigeria’s former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN), has emerged as the consensus candidate of the Northern caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the position of National Chairman, ahead of the party’s National Convention scheduled for November 15–16 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The decision was reached during a meeting of Northern PDP stakeholders held on Wednesday in Abuja, as part of ongoing efforts to ensure unity and strategic alignment ahead of the convention.
Announcing the decision, Chairman of the PDP National Convention Organising Committee and Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, said the choice of Turaki followed wide consultations among northern leaders of the party.
He, however, clarified that the race remained open to any aspirant from the region who wished to contest.
Present at the meeting were several top PDP figures, including former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki; Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro; National Chairman, Iliya Damagum; and governors Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), and Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa).
The closed-door session took place at the Maitama residence of former Kaduna State Governor, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, who was also a leading contender before the stakeholders settled for Turaki.
The meeting was a follow-up to an earlier northern PDP stakeholders’ forum held over the weekend, where leaders discussed the distribution of party offices zoned to the region and the micro-zoning arrangements.
Speaking after the meeting, Governor Fintiri said the stakeholders had “reflected deeply and widely” before arriving at a consensus in the overall interest of the party and the nation.
“We have adopted a consensus candidate to represent the North and, by extension, Nigeria, as the chairman of the PDP,” Fintiri stated. “That gentleman is Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN. This is our decision this evening, and he is the person we are presenting at the convention in Ibadan.”
On whether the consensus arrangement excluded other aspirants, Fintiri emphasized that the process remained open and democratic.
“Anybody who still feels they want to contest is free to do so. Our party is an institution with mechanisms to handle such matters, and we have been engaging one another for weeks to build this consensus. The convention will be peaceful and rancour-free,” he said.
Fintiri also dismissed concerns about recent defections within the party, stressing that the PDP remained united and focused on delivering a successful convention.
“Our primary focus at the moment is the convention. We are still one family and remain committed to rebuilding and repositioning our party,” he assured.
The meeting also discussed other key positions zoned to various regions.
The office of National Organising Secretary was allocated to the North-East, while the National Secretary went to the South-West.
The National Publicity Secretary and Deputy National Chairman positions were zoned to the South-South.
All PDP senators, members of the House of Representatives, and other northern leaders attended the meeting.