Distinguished leaders of our great party,
Members of the National Caretaker Working Committee,
Esteemed colleagues on the Convention Committee,Party elders, stakeholders, and loyal members of the Peoples Democratic Party across our great nation:
Today is not just ceremonial, it is consequential.
I stand before you deeply honoured, yet fully aware that this moment calls not for comfort, but for courage; not for routine, but for resolve. I accept this responsibility with humility, but also with a firm determination to help steer our great party through this defining chapter in its history.
This convention is more than a gathering, it is a reckoning. A moment of truth. A test of whether the Peoples Democratic Party can rise above its recent trials and reclaim its rightful place as the oldest, and nationally entrenched political party in Nigeria.
Let us not pretend about the road that brought us here.
We have passed through a difficult phase, one marked by internal disagreements, institutional strain, and a protracted legal battle that travelled from the Federal High Courts to the Court of Appeal. That period tested not only our structures but our very faith in the ideals that bind us together.
But today, we stand on the other side of that storm.
The Court of Appeal’s affirmation of the National Caretaker Working Committee is not merely a legal victory, it is a moral and political reset. It offers us a rare opportunity to rebuild, to restore confidence, and to reaffirm the supremacy of due process and internal democracy within our party.
History has handed us a second chance. We must not squander it.
At this point, I must commend the National Leader of our party, a man whose vision, courage, and unwavering resolve ensured that the PDP did not fracture under pressure. At a time when it would have been easier to yield to division, he chose the harder path of unity. That is leadership. That is statesmanship.
I also recognise the many leaders and stakeholders who, in different ways, stood firm to defend the soul of this party. The PDP remains standing today because some refused to let it fall.
To my colleagues on the Convention Committee, the assignment before us is clear, and history will judge us by how we discharge it.
We are not here to manage a convention. We are here to deliver credibility.
We are not here to satisfy factions. We are here to strengthen the party.
We are not here to recycle old divisions. We are here to build a united future.
We must, therefore, be up and doing.
Let our work be guided by transparency, fairness, and integrity. Let every delegate leave this convention with confidence in the process. Let every stakeholder see justice not just done, but seen to be done.
Our mission is simple but profound: to deliver a smooth, transparent, and widely accepted convention that will produce a competent and credible National Working Committee, one capable of repositioning the PDP for victory in the 2027 general elections.
But let me say this clearly: no structure, no matter how well designed, can succeed without unity of purpose.
That is why reconciliation is not optional, it is imperative.
We must go beyond rhetoric. Beyond symbolic gestures. Beyond political convenience.
What the PDP needs at this moment is honest reconciliation, rooted in truth, driven by sincerity, and sustained by mutual respect.
We must have the courage to listen to one another.
The humility to admit where we went wrong.
And the strength to forgive, genuinely and completely.
Let us, therefore, choose unity, not because it is easy, but because it is necessary.
The Peoples Democratic Party is not just another political platform. It is a national institution. It is the vehicle through which millions of Nigerians still place their hopes for justice, inclusion, and good governance.
We cannot afford to fail them.
As we begin this important task, let us remember: positions will come and go, but legacy endures.
Years from now, Nigerians will ask: when the PDP was tested, who stood for unity? Who stood for fairness? Who helped rebuild the party?
Let our answer be clear.
Let it be said that at a moment of uncertainty, we chose stability.
At a moment of division, we chose unity.
At a moment of doubt, we delivered leadership.
I call on all stakeholders, leaders, delegates, and members across all levels in the 36 states of our federal, including the FCT, to support this process with discipline, maturity, and a deep sense of responsibility.
Together, we can rebuild trust.
Together, we can restore confidence.
Together, we can return the PDP to national leadership.
The task is before us.
The moment is now.
And history is watching.
May God bless the Peoples Democratic Party.
May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, PhD
Chairman, Convention Committee
