By Peter Omopo
Former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, has been elected the new National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following a keenly watched national convention held on Saturday in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The announcement was made by Senator Ben Obi, a former lawmaker representing Anambra Central, who declared Turaki winner after he secured 1,516 votes from accredited delegates.
Turaki ran unopposed after the PDP’s 2023 governorship candidate in Katsina State, Lado Danmarke, withdrew from the race. Despite his withdrawal, Danmarke still polled 275 delegate votes, according to results released by the electoral committee.
Out of the 1,834 total votes cast, 43 were voided, Obi said, affirming Turaki’s emergence as the new helmsman of Nigeria’s major opposition party.
Other Results Announced
Obi further announced that Solarin Sunday Adekunle won the position of Deputy National Organising Secretary with 633 votes.
The positions of National Youth Leader and Deputy National Legal Adviser were stepped down. Seventeen other national offices were uncontested, and their candidates were returned elected.
A total of 3,131 delegates were expected at the convention, while 2,745 were accredited for the exercise.
Governors, Party Leaders Attend Convention
The convention drew attendance from key PDP leaders, including governors:
- Bala Mohammed (Bauchi)
- Seyi Makinde (Oyo)
- Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa)
- Dauda Lawal (Zamfara)
- Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau)
Notably absent were Governors Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers), and Agbu Kefas (Taraba).
Also present were Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro, former Osun State Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, former Gombe State Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo, and PDP Board of Trustees Chairman Senator Adolphus Wabara, among other party elders.
Turaki’s Path to Victory
Turaki’s emergence followed the PDP National Executive Committee’s decision in August to zone the 2027 presidential ticket to the South and the national chairmanship to the North, in line with the party’s power rotation arrangement.
Ahead of the convention, influential stakeholders from the North-West adopted Turaki as their consensus candidate. Those present at the endorsement meetings included governors from Bauchi, Plateau, Adamawa, and Zamfara, as well as then acting National Chairman Umar Damagum.
Other notable figures who backed the former minister include ex-Senate President Bukola Saraki, former Minister of Information Jerry Gana, Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro, and former Minister of Education Ibrahim Shekarau.
Turaki now takes over leadership of the PDP at a critical time as the party positions itself for the 2027 general elections.
