PDP South-South Secretary, Turnah, Faults BoT Over Reconciliation Report, Calls Convention Illegal

Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the South-South Zone, George Turnah, has condemned the Board of Trustees, BoT, for rejecting the recommendations of the party’s reconciliation committee aimed at resolving the lingering internal crisis and ensuring a peaceful national convention in 2025.

Turnah also criticized a faction of the party for insisting on going ahead with the national convention despite a valid court order stopping the exercise. He described the move as “an act of impunity” and a threat to the rule of law within the party.

Meanwhile, activities at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan, the proposed venue for the two-day convention, were said to be in full swing on Saturday, with preparations continuing despite the controversy.

In a statement, Turnah insisted that no legitimate PDP convention was taking place anywhere in the country.

“It is important to state that there is no PDP convention going on anywhere,” he said. “Nigerians are free to assemble, and the Governor of Oyo State has the right to host any gathering, whether of PDP members or otherwise. It could be social, it could be owambe — that’s fine. But we are law-abiding citizens.”

He argued that the BoT’s stance and the actions of the pro-convention faction reflect deeper issues.

“It even says a lot about the leadership of the party. When we complain about impunity, people may not understand the gravity. Nigerians can now see it clearly. There is a court judgment that says the convention should not hold now,” he noted.

Turnah also stressed that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had not granted approval for the convention.

“INEC hasn’t given clearance. They asked them to go back and address certain processes before a convention can take place. Yet, they engaged in forum shopping to obtain an ex parte order,” he said.

He further referenced the court’s findings in the suit filed by former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, who challenged his exclusion from contesting the national chairmanship.

“The court made findings on the exclusion of a respected founding father of the party, Sule Lamido. And Nigerians can see that nobody even knows who the aspirants for this election are,” he added.

Turnah said the PDP traditionally conducts its nomination process with transparency and media involvement, but none of these elements were visible in the build-up to the planned convention.

“You didn’t see any of the usual practices — no funfair during form procurement, no nationwide campaigns. All of this shows that what is being staged in Ibadan is not a legitimate PDP national convention,” he said.