Northern stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have endorsed former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki, as the consensus candidate for the party’s national chairmanship position ahead of its forthcoming national elective convention scheduled for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Speaking to journalists after a closed-door meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, Adamawa State Governor Umar Fintiri explained that while the stakeholders had agreed on Turaki as their preferred choice, the decision does not preclude other aspirants from contesting for the position at the convention.
The consensus decision was reached during a high-level meeting attended by prominent Northern PDP leaders, including the governors of Adamawa, Bauchi, Zamfara, and Plateau States; former Senate President Bukola Saraki; Senator Abba Moro; and the PDP National Chairman, Umar Damagum.
The meeting, held at the Abuja residence of former Kaduna State Governor, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, was aimed at fostering unity within the Northern bloc of the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Also in attendance were Bala Mohammed, chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and governor of Bauchi State; Dauda Lawal, governor of Zamfara State; Caleb Mutfwang, governor of Plateau State; and Umaru Fintiri, governor of Adamawa State.
Other notable figures at the meeting included former Senate President Bukola Saraki and Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro.
Senator Ahmed Makarfi was among those initially in the running for the chairmanship position, alongside other prominent northern leaders such as former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido.
The upcoming PDP national convention in Ibadan will elect new members of the National Working Committee (NWC) who will steer the affairs of the party into the 2027 general elections and beyond.
