Fresh moves to reconcile factions within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have emerged after former Heads of State Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida were consulted by party chieftain Gbenga Hashim as part of efforts to end the party’s internal rift.ABUJA – Fresh moves to reconcile factions within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have emerged after former Heads of State Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida were consulted by party chieftain Gbenga Hashim as part of efforts to end the party’s internal rift.
The quiet consultations form part of a broader mediation effort aimed at easing tensions after months of legal battles and factional manoeuvring that strained the party’s cohesion.
Party stakeholders are now pushing for a political solution that could stabilise the PDP ahead of future elections.
Vanguard learnt that Hashim has been reaching out to key figures across rival blocs through a series of discreet backchannel contacts. Multiple sources confirmed that the consultations with Obasanjo and Babangida were part of the reconciliation effort.
Sources said the discussions focused largely on the political and institutional risks of prolonged litigation within the party.
Within party circles, the outreach to Obasanjo and Babangida was seen as an attempt to draw on the moral authority of the PDP’s founding generation at a time many members consider critical for the party’s stability.
Developments in the legal arena also appear to be strengthening the push for reconciliation. During the hearing of an appeal at the Court of Appeal of Nigeria sitting in Ibadan on Wednesday, the justices reportedly advised the parties involved in the dispute to consider reconciliation, stressing the importance of political stability and internal dispute resolution within political parties.
Last weekend marked what sources described as a turning point. Intensified backchannel communications between key figures on both sides produced what they called an agreement in principle to begin harmonising positions, regardless of pending court rulings.