Northern PDP Leaders Endorse Tanimu Turaki as Consensus Chairmanship Candidate

Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Nigeria’s northern region have reached a consensus to support former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki (SAN), as their candidate for the position of National Chairman ahead of the party’s upcoming convention in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The announcement was made by Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, who also chairs the PDP National Convention Organising Committee, after a meeting of northern stakeholders held in Abuja on Wednesday night. Fintiri stated that after extensive consultations with leaders from the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Turaki emerged as the unanimous choice to represent the region in the party’s leadership race.

Governor Fintiri clarified that while Tanimu Turaki’s selection reflected broad consensus, the party remains open and democratic, allowing any aspirant who disagrees with the decision to still contest at the convention. “We have adopted a consensus candidate to represent the North, and by extension, Nigeria, as the Chairman of the PDP. That gentleman is K.T. Turaki, SAN,” he announced.

Tanimu Turaki :A Seasoned Legal and Political Figure

Tanimu Turaki, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), is a respected legal expert and long-time political figure with a distinguished record in both governance and law. His professional background spans constitutional law, election petitions, arbitration, oil and gas law, and international criminal law.

He previously served as Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs and as Supervising Minister of Labour and Productivity under former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. His blend of political experience and legal acumen has earned him a reputation as a disciplined, pragmatic, and strategic leader within the PDP.

Political observers see his emergence as part of the party’s calculated effort to consolidate unity in the North ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly after the PDP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on August 25, which zoned the 2027 presidential ticket to the South and the chairmanship position to the North.

PDP Seeks Stability Ahead of Ibadan Convention

The consensus decision is expected to ease internal tensions within the PDP, though some factions reportedly remain unsettled—particularly among loyalists of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who have expressed dissatisfaction with the current leadership.

Governor Fintiri, however, assured party members that the PDP’s internal mechanisms remain robust enough to handle disagreements. “Of course, the PDP is an institution, and we have mechanisms to handle all these issues. We’ve been talking to ourselves, not today, not yesterday. This is a build-up of consensus over the last two weeks,” he stated, expressing confidence that the Ibadan convention scheduled for November 15th and 16th will be “rancour-free.”

As the PDP prepares for what could be a decisive convention, the emergence of Turaki as the North’s consensus candidate underscores the party’s renewed commitment to unity, inclusion, and strategic alignment ahead of its next electoral chapter.