Ahead of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Convention scheduled for Ibadan, Oyo State, northern leaders of the party have endorsed former Minister of Special Duties, Barrister Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN), as their consensus candidate for the position of National Chairman.
The endorsement was reached during a meeting of PDP northern stakeholders held on Wednesday night at the Adamawa Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.
The decision was announced by Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State at the end of the meeting, which was attended by Governors Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), and Agbu Kefas (Taraba), among other northern PDP leaders.
Fintiri explained that all ten National Working Committee (NWC) positions zoned to the North would be filled through consensus. However, he clarified that the arrangement does not bar any aspirant from contesting during the Ibadan convention.
“As northern leaders of our great party, the PDP, we have met this evening to deliberate and take a decision on the office of the National Chairman, which was zoned to the North,” Fintiri said.
“After wide consultations, we have adopted a consensus candidate to represent the North—and by extension, Nigeria—as the chairman of the PDP. That gentleman is KT Turaki, SAN. This is our collective decision, and we will be presenting him to delegates at the convention in Ibadan on November 15 and 16.”
The development follows last weekend’s gathering of northern PDP stakeholders, where the chairmanship slot was officially micro-zoned to the North-West geopolitical zone to ensure regional balance and unity within the party.
Fintiri assured that the convention would be peaceful, expressing confidence in the party’s internal mechanisms for managing differences.
“We have been consulting for weeks, and what we have achieved is a product of dialogue and consensus. The PDP remains united and focused on the upcoming convention,” he added.
He further disclosed that other positions zoned to the North would also be resolved at the regional level, with candidates expected to emerge through consensus before being presented to the convention.