Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have declared that the party’s November 15, 2025 national convention in Ibadan will serve as a critical step in repositioning the opposition to “rescue Nigeria from divisive governance and worsening hardship under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).”

The PDP Governors’ Forum, after its 7th meeting held on Saturday, August 23, 2025, in Gusau, Zamfara State, said the convention would go ahead as scheduled, regardless of dissent within the party.

In a communiqué signed at the end of the meeting chaired by Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, the forum reaffirmed its adherence to the resolutions of the 101st National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in July 2025. “The Forum reaffirms its full commitment to the resolutions of the 101st National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of July 2025 regarding the November 15 National Convention,” it stated.

The governors described the convention as a necessary step toward restoring good governance, warning members not to be swayed by internal distractions. “It urges members to resist all attempts to derail the convention by anti-party forces; but to see the PDP as the only democratic institution and viable alternative for restoring Nigeria along the path of good governance and national development,” the communiqué further read.

While deliberating on insecurity, the state of the economy, and what it called the “erosion of democratic values,” the forum said Nigerians were bearing the brunt of APC’s failures. “We reiterate our commitment to rescue Nigeria from the clutches of misrule,” the governors declared, accusing the ruling party of policies that had “imposed hardship on Nigerians and undermined national unity.”

The forum also commended PDP members for their resilience in the face of orchestrated defections. “The distractions of orchestrated defections cannot diminish the appeal of our party or the people’s yearning for affordable living and relative security as experienced under PDP-led administrations,” the communiqué noted.

The Zamfara meeting came amid renewed criticism from the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who has openly opposed the decisions of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) on the South-South zonal structure.

On Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on August 19, Wike dismissed the South-South Caretaker Committee and insisted that his ally, Chief Dan Orbih, was duly elected as National Vice Chairman at a congress in Calabar. “Our congress was held in Calabar, and there’s nothing anybody can tell us. If they want to have another round of crisis, so be it. In that congress, Chief Dan Orbih emerged as the National Vice Chairman,” Wike said.

He also rejected the zoning committee led by Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri and warned that the refusal of the party to recognise Orbih’s emergence could lead to a fresh crisis. “There is no two ways about it. The National Vice Chairman of PDP South-South is Chief Dan Orbih. If they don’t agree, that’s another round of crisis,” Wike declared.

Wike’s position has further strained his relationship with PDP governors, including his former ally, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, who has distanced himself from the FCT minister. Party leaders have continued to accuse Wike of undermining the PDP since joining the federal cabinet under the APC-led government, allegations he has repeatedly denied.

For the governors, however, the focus remains on November 15. “The PDP convention is not just about internal processes; it is about offering Nigerians a platform for hope and national recovery,” the communiqué stressed.