PDP Convention in Turmoil: Four Governors Arrive in Ibadan Despite Election Body’s Refusal to Oversee

Four state leaders from Nigeria’s main opposition party have shown up in Ibadan for a key leadership vote set for the weekend, even as the national election watchdog hints at staying away.

The governors—Bala Mohammed from Bauchi, Dauda Lawal from Zamfara, Ahmadu Fintiri from Adamawa, and Seyi Makinde from Oyo—reached the Oyo State city on Friday. A regional party official said they came to back the gathering, which aims to pick new bosses amid deep splits in the ranks.

The event, planned for Saturday and Sunday, has hit snags from court fights. One judge in Oyo allowed it to go on until mid-next week, but a top court in the capital stepped in the same day to halt it. That ruling bars the election body from watching over things and orders the party to hand out forms to a past governor who claims he got shut out.

The watchdog’s team said they would follow the capital court’s call and skip any role, pulling back a planned update to stress they stick to the rules. Party elders blame the mess on rushed local votes and power grabs by state heads, urging a delay for talks to mend fences.

Delegates from places like Lagos, the capital area, and other states have started turning up at the site, with guards on hand and setups ready. A big name in the party waved off the worries on air, saying the old court nod clears the way and the group stays strong.

A former top lawmaker warned the rows could wreck chances in the next big vote and pushed for a shared stand-in team to sort it out. Factions loyal to a current minister and the stand-in head run from split offices, with calls to drop bans on aides and rethink how state bosses steer things.

One hopeful for the top job said he would sit out to honour the halt and slammed the leaders for thinking they own the show. The party’s advisory board chief called the trouble home-made and hoped for quick fixes.