In a fiery defense of the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) embattled Ibadan convention, Senator Ben Obi, Secretary of the PDP National Convention Organising Committee, has staunchly affirmed its legitimacy while issuing a stark warning to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu: the time has come to “draw the line” against escalating internal strife that threatens Nigeria’s democratic fabric.
![](https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/TheNigerialawyer-WhatsApp-Channel1.jpg")
Obi’s remarks, delivered during a tense interview on ARISE News on Tuesday, came hours after chaotic clashes at the PDP’s national headquarters in Wadata Plaza, Abuja. Police fired tear gas to disperse rival factions, turning the party’s once-grand edifice into a battlefield of expelled leaders, defecting governors, and unyielding power struggles. The incident, captured live by journalists amid shouts of betrayal and scuffles, underscored the PDP’s descent into what Obi called a “crucible of chaos” that stands in sharp contrast to its 16-year reign as Nigeria’s ruling party.
“The convention was properly and duly constituted,” Obi insisted, countering accusations from the rival faction led by acting National Chairman Iliya Damagum and others, including prominent figures like Nyesom Wike. “INEC was duly informed. The Nigerian Police were duly informed. The DSS were duly informed. The police and the DSS participated. What is mandatory is to give INEC 21-day notice and we did.”
The Ibadan convention, held over the weekend of November 15 and 16, was meant to be a reset for the opposition PDP, electing a new National Working Committee (NWC) after years of infighting. Instead, it ignited renewed conflict. Delegates unanimously endorsed the elective process, 3,131 strong with 2,745 accredited, after Obi moved a motion to proceed despite pending court challenges. The gathering produced a new leadership slate, including a chairman from the Turaki faction, but was immediately branded illegitimate by holdouts loyal to Damagum.
Tuesday’s showdown at Wadata Plaza highlighted the deepening division. The outgoing 18-member NWC split into a 14 to 4 majority favoring the Ibadan outcome, according to Obi, against a minority that refused to accept the decision of the party’s highest body. Attempts by the Damagum group to convene an inaugural NWC meeting were thwarted, and the meeting was postponed to Wednesday after police intervened, while the pro-Ibadan faction seized the secretariat and addressed the press.
Obi, a former special adviser on inter-party affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan, and current pro-chancellor of the American University of Nigeria in Yola, did not hold back. “Nigerians have been very worried that the PDP allowed so much indiscipline,” he said. “What happened in Ibadan on Saturday into Sunday morning should have happened over one and a half years ago.”
He dismissed the rival faction’s authority entirely. “These are people that a convention has expelled, and they come to a National Executive Committee. Who is convening that? There must be a limit to this rascality. We cannot continue this way.”
Obi’s critique extended beyond the PDP. He accused external forces of fueling the crisis and singled out Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, now a federal minister in the ruling APC government, as a symbol of the party’s internal sabotage. “As it stands, the PDP does not have a cohabitation arrangement with the APC. But we have a man who is supposed to be a member of the PDP as a minister in the APC. Nigerians know this very well.”
Obi, who once conferred a chieftaincy title on Tinubu in his hometown of Oka, expressed disappointment in the president’s silence. “I know President Bola Ahmed Tinubu very, very well. If we are saying that there is fire on the mountain and the fire keeps building, and you as the Commander-in-Chief are saying nothing to us, then something is going wrong. There is a time when you have to draw the line and say enough is enough.”
He warned that the PDP’s internal turmoil was spilling into broader national risks, pointing to rising insecurity, international scrutiny, and heightened global attention. “The Congress is going to discuss Nigeria tomorrow. At the United Nations they are discussing Nigeria. You cannot have a one-party state. Not in Nigeria.” He urged Tinubu to act quickly to prevent further escalation, recalling former President Jonathan’s restraint during tense periods in 2015. “We PDP had been in government for 16 years. We never saw anything near this.”
The Turaki-led faction has further escalated the crisis by appealing to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, framing the situation as a threat to Nigerian democracy and warning of Christian persecution. Obi said the move was intended to alert the international community but acknowledged it raises the stakes for the Tinubu administration.
Despite the turmoil, Obi expressed confidence in the PDP’s capacity to survive. “Membership of the PDP is still very much intact. Governors leave, but down the grassroots, the members remain. The party is for the people. This leadership will return the party to the people.”
He highlighted the PDP’s longstanding presence. “Go to any nook and cranny of this country and you will find a PDP office. Since 1999, it remains the only party that has not changed its name.” He contrasted this with the APC, which he described as a “congregation of strange bedfellows,” noting that a full convention could expose similar fractures within the ruling party.
As court battles loom, Obi emphasized that judicial precedent is clear that internal party matters remain internal and that the convention’s authority stands. Yet, with defectors boosting APC ranks and confusion spreading among party supporters, the PDP faces a decisive crossroads. Will it emerge revived from what Obi calls a “revolution,” or fall further into disarray?
“Time will tell,” Obi acknowledged, but he delivered his conclusion with certainty: the authentic PDP, he insisted, will endure through discipline and a return to its foundational vision.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR LAWYERS: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE
Reimagine your practice with the power of AI “...this is the only Nigerian book I know of on the topic.” — Ohio Books Ltd
Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe, Esq., ACIArb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director, Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria.
Bonus:
Get a FREE eBook titled “How to Use the AI in Legalpedia and Law Pavilion” with every purchase.
How to Order: 📞 Call, Text, or WhatsApp: 08034917063 | 07055285878 📧 Email: benadigwe1@gmail.com 🌐 Website: www.benadigwe.com
Ebook Version: Access directly online at: https://selar.com/prv626
______________________________________________________________________ New Year Promo: Get Five Maritime Law Books For N150,000 — 63% Discount
The promotion, which commenced on January 8 and runs until February 8, 2026, offers five core maritime law books authored by Dr. Emeka Akabogu, SAN, ordinarily valued at N405,000, for just N150,000 — a 63% discount.
Interested buyers can place their orders through the following channels:
Phone: 0704 329 3271
Online Store: https://paystack.shop/aa-bookstore
Website: www.akabogulaw.com
______________________________________________________________________
[A MUST HAVE] Evidence Act Demystified With Recent And Contemporary Cases And Materials
_______________________________________________________________________
