JUST IN: PDP Elects Turaki as National Chairman in Landmark Vote

Kabiru Turaki (SAN), once Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, has been elected National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party at the party’s national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State. Delegates from 17 states gathered at the Lekan Salami Stadium, where Turaki secured 1,516 votes. Senator Yakubu Danmarke received 275 votes, while 43 ballots were voided out of 1,834 cast. Senator Ben Obi, who announced the results, also confirmed Solarin Adekunle as the new Deputy National Organising Secretary. Two national positions were contested, with 2,745 of 3,131 delegates accredited for the exercise.

In his acceptance remarks, Turaki said the mandate given to him would be executed with integrity, promising to return the party to its foundational values and to restore internal discipline. He pledged that the PDP would reconnect with Nigerians, reunite its members, and bring back those who had left, stressing that the party’s task now is to help safeguard the country’s democracy. He added that the party’s guiding principles would be announced soon as its new leadership begins work.

The convention drew significant party figures, including Governors Seyi Makinde, Ahmadu Fintiri, Bala Mohammed, Dauda Lawal, and Caleb Mutfwang. Other attendees included Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro, former governors Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Ibrahim Dankwambo, Board of Trustees Chairman Adolphus Wabara, and several senior party leaders. The gathering proceeded despite pending court cases challenging the legitimacy of the convention, reflecting the ongoing internal dispute that has split the party in recent months.