Adetokunbo Pearse, convener of the Reset Lagos Peoples Democratic Party, says the party’s forthcoming national convention is vital to Nigeria’s democratic survival.

Pearse, in a statement on Saturday, said the convention was not merely a party affair but a national democratic necessity.

He explained that the convention, scheduled for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, would elect new officers into the PDP’s National Working Committee.

According to him, the newly elected officers will succeed the current NWC members whose tenure ends in December 2025.

Pearse described the NWC as the engine room of the PDP, responsible for elections and coordination of party activities across the nation.

“The NWC is the heart and soul of the PDP and a vital organ of internal democracy within the party,” he said.

He noted that the 19 NWC positions had been zoned across the six geopolitical zones, with each zone deciding which state would fill particular offices.

Mr Pearse said any legitimate member dissatisfied with a state’s nominee could freely contest during the convention. He condemned moves by some members, purportedly led by FCT minister Nyesom Wike, to frustrate the exercise.

According to him, the group has questioned the legitimacy of the convention, alleging that congresses were not held in 14 states.

Mr Pearse, however, cited the PDP spokesperson Debo Ologunagba, who clarified that only four states had unresolved congress issues.

“In those four states, about 60 per cent of delegates had already emerged through valid ward and local government congresses. Mr Wike wants to assume the powers of the NWC, forgetting that no individual is bigger than the party,” Mr Pearse said.

He explained that caretaker committees had been constituted in Delta and Akwa Ibom, where governors defected, to manage party affairs.

Mr Pearse warned that failure to hold the convention would leave the PDP without a functional NWC, crippling preparations for the 2027 elections.

“If the PDP cannot elect national officers now, it cannot plan or conduct primaries for the 2027 polls,” he said.

He alleged that Wike’s actions were part of a wider plan to weaken the PDP and secure President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. According to him, without the PDP on the ballot, Nigeria risks becoming a one-party state under the APC, endangering democracy.

He said attempts to stop the Ibadan convention amounted to an assault on democracy and would be resisted.

“The PDP’s struggle today is not only for its survival but for the defence of Nigeria’s democracy,” Mr Pearse said.

He warned that those undermining democratic institutions would face both national and international consequences.

“Nigeria must not be allowed to slide into authoritarian rule or failed state status,” Mr Pearse said.

(NAN)