Austin Nwachukwu, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, has stated that the Abuja convention of the party is the only one recognized by law. He made this statement during an interview on Channels Television's Sunrise Daily, where he described the Ibadan exercise as a "mere jamboree" with no constitutional backing. The Ibadan exercise had produced Taminu Turaki as the national chairman in November 2025. Nwachukwu, who is the Chairman of the PDP Chairmen Forum, emphasized that the Abuja convention had the presence of INEC officials and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, which legitimized it.
The Abuja convention, which was held at the MKO Abiola National Stadium, had over 2,000 delegates from across the country in attendance. The convention produced Abdulrahman Mohammed and Samuel Anyanwu as National Chairman and Secretary, respectively. The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, backed the convention. Other prominent party members who attended the convention included Sule Lamido, Bukola Saraki, and Ahmed Makarfi.
