Our Convention Will Reposition PDP For Victory In 2027 – Ikpeazu

Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2026 National Convention  Committee, Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, has said the party’s convention holding on March 29 would reposition the party for victory in 2027 general elections.

Ikpeazu in his inaugural and acceptance speech, said history had handed them a second chance they must not squander.

He also underscored the need for true and genuine reconciliation within the party.

“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,” he said.

He stressed that 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.”

He said 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.”

He said the inauguration is not just ceremonial, but  consequential, adding the party cannot afford to pretend about the road that brought them to the convention.

“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.”

He recounted the legal tussle the party has endured adding, “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.”

He added that the Court of Appeal’s affirmation of the National Caretaker Working Committee is not merely a legal victory, but  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.

He commended the National Leader of the party, Nyesom Wike, for his  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.”