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From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja
Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has called on former members who defected during the party’s recent crisis to return.
Speaking at the inauguration of the party’s convention committee yesterday in Abuja, Akpoti-Uduaghan said the event marks the beginning of a rebuilding process for the opposition party after months of internal instability.
“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, members of the press, I would say I’m extremely elated tonight simply because we have a political party,” she said.
“Congratulations to everyone here today. I know it’s not been easy. We’ve been on the news back and forth, and that has kept a lot of people wondering what befalls the PDP.”
She reflected on the sharp decline in the PDP’s representation in the Senate, linking it to the leadership crisis that triggered a wave of defections.
“When I joined, it was late November 2023… we were 37 PDP senators. But today we’re only six. I tell you, it wasn’t easy. It was almost like at every sitting, you were expecting senators to decamp,” she said.
According to her, several of her former colleagues blamed the party’s internal disputes for their decision to leave, insisting that the situation has now improved.
“When I asked a few of them why they were leaving the party, they mentioned the leadership crisis. So I’m saying this to my colleagues who have decamped: trust me, it’s not greener on the other side. You are all welcome back to the PDP,” she added.
In his remarks, Chairman of the 2026 National Convention Committee and former Abia State governor, Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, described the inauguration as a defining moment for the party.
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“Today is not just ceremonial; it is consequential,” Ikpeazu said. “This convention is more than a gathering; it is a reckoning. A moment of truth.”
He acknowledged that the PDP had gone through a turbulent period characterised by internal disagreements and prolonged legal battles that tested its unity.
“We have passed through a difficult phase… marked by internal disagreements, institutional strain, and a protracted legal battle that travelled from the Federal High Courts to the Court of Appeal,” he said.
Ikpeazu, however, said the affirmation of the National Caretaker Working Committee by the appellate court provides an opportunity for renewal.
“It is not merely a legal victory; it is a moral and political reset. It offers us a rare opportunity to rebuild, restore confidence, and reaffirm due process within our party,” he stated.
He emphasised the need for reconciliation, urging members to move past divisions and work collectively to reposition the party.
“What the PDP needs at this moment is honest reconciliation, rooted in truth, driven by sincerity, and sustained by mutual respect,” he said.
“We must have the courage to listen to one another, the humility to admit where we went wrong, and the strength to forgive.”
He added that the committee is committed to delivering a credible and transparent convention that would produce a national working committee capable of preparing the PDP for the 2027 general elections.
