The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday inaugurated a 119-member national convention committee and warned individuals or groups working to sabotage the event, scheduled for November in Ibadan, to steer clear of its way.

The 119-member committee is chaired by Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa, with Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun serving as vice chairman and Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State as secretary.

The PDP national chairman, Umar Damagum, performed the inauguration in Abuja, describing it as a step towards strengthening and sustaining PDP through the instrumentality of balloting.

Mr Damagum said that since he assumed leadership, the party had pursued reconciliation and worked to reposition the party’s structure.

He added that, despite the challenges facing the party, it remains the leading voice of the opposition and the enduring hope of millions of Nigerians.

“Not because I enjoy being disparaged, but because at critical moments, I chose restraint, not out of weakness, but as a conscious sacrifice for the survival and stability of our party.

“Ironically, many of the destructive voices have come from individuals who have benefited immensely from the PDP. They sought to sow division and weaken our structures,’’ he said.

Mr Damagum, however, said PDP was not broken or defeated but marching forward and better prepared to reclaim power in 2027.

He tasked the committee to let fairness, equity, justice, and unity of purpose be their guiding principles.

In his remarks, the PDP Governors’ Forum chairman, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, said that while the governors believe in consensus and accommodation, it would no longer tolerate anyone taking the party for granted.

“We cannot continue to keep quiet and allow people to take us to the slaughterhouse. That is their job. And our job is to make sure we don’t go to the slaughterhouse,’’ Mr Mohammed said.

The secretary of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Ahmed Makarfi, cautioned party members against raising tension ahead of the party convention.

Mr Makarfi said the tradition of the PDP had always been to build consensus, adding that whoever was not comfortable with the zoning arrangement should go into the field to test their capacity.

“Convention is not about 100 per cent, but about the overwhelming majority. If you have a 100 per cent fine. In that direction, the party has zoned its positions, North and South. North can sit and do what they wish. South can sit and do what they wish.

“But that should not deny any individual who disagrees by testing his will. Buy the form, go to the field, and test your capacity.

“So, there’s no need raising temperature because there will be no, and there should be no exclusion. That has been the tradition since PDP was formed,’’ Mr Makarfi said.

The chairman of the National Convention Committee, Mr Fintiri, pledged the committee’s commitment to making history in Ibadan by organising a credible convention, just as it did in 2022.

FCT Minister Nyesom Wike-led eminent leaders and concerned stakeholders of the PDP had set conditions for the party leadership to ensure a valid and successful national convention.

Some of the key conditions were that the PDP convention must be inclusive and the position of the national chairman must remain in the North-Central zone.

(NAN)