PDP members met in Ibadan for a convention Governor Makinde says will help rebuild the party.
He believes the gathering marks a fresh beginning after many legal disputes slowed their plans.
Oyo State governor Seyi Makinde says the ongoing national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party will bring a major turnaround for the opposition party. He made the comment while addressing delegates at the convention taking place at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Adamasingba, Ibadan.
The convention has faced several legal battles in recent months. Some allies of Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, had gone to court to stop the event, leading to multiple conflicting court orders.
The most recent order came on Friday, when a federal high court in Abuja stopped the PDP from holding the convention because Sule Lamido, former governor of Jigawa, was excluded from the chairmanship contest. This ruling followed a similar judgment issued on October 31, when Justice James Omotosho of the same court directed the PDP to suspend the gathering.
However, on November 4, an Oyo State high court ruled that the party and its national chairman, Umar Damagum, should proceed with the convention.
Speaking at the event, Makinde admitted that the party went through a difficult period before reaching this stage. He said the decision to hold the convention, despite the setbacks, would reshape the future of the PDP.
According to him, it has been a long and challenging journey, but the outcome of the convention will be remembered as the moment the party began a new phase. Makinde added that the unity and determination shown by party members proved that the PDP is ready to reposition itself at the national level.
