Youth Party National Chair Abdul Rahman Abubakar being sworn in by Convention planning committee Chair, ‘Wale Irokosu.
The Youth Party’s National Convention held on Saturday, 23rd May 2026 at the Wetland Hotel, Abuja was a landmark moment for Nigeria’s young but fast-growing political movement. Delegates from across the federation gathered in a charged atmosphere to elect new national leadership, ratify grassroots congresses, and set the tone for the party’s next phase.
The convention formally ratified the ward, local government, and state congresses conducted across 26 states, a milestone that signalled the party’s deepening roots at the grassroots level. All decisions of the National Executive Committee since the last convention were also ratified, alongside the swearing-in of new excos.
The centerpiece of the day was the election and swearing-in of a new NEC. Mr. Abdulrahman Abubakar of Niger State was elected National Chair, with Mr. Sadiq Abu of Ogun State as his Deputy. Other elected officers include Mr. Sope Durodola (Oyo State) as National Financial Secretary; Mrs. Helen Adoh (Kogi State) as National Secretary; and Mallam Mujaheed Ahmad (Bauchi State), Mr. Yahaya Maibe (Borno State), and Mr. Adeolu Dara (Kwara State) as National Executive Officers I, II, and III respectively.
In his acceptance speech, the new National Chair struck a tone that was equal parts grateful and grounded. “I am humbled by my election to serve as the substantive Chair of our great Party,” he said, before reminding delegates of the party’s core values: accountability, transparency, and a politics of reason and reform untainted by ethnic or religious sentiment. He reaffirmed the party’s commitment to OMOV: One Member One Vote, and its belief in equal access to education, healthcare, and housing for all Nigerians. “It’s a marathon and not a sprint,” he told the hall.
Abubakar was candid about the party’s challenges, naming visibility, finance, communication, mobilisation, and discipline as areas requiring urgent attention. He outlined five immediate priorities:
1. conducting free and fair primaries
2. amending the party’s constitution and manifesto
3. reviewing BOT-set KPIs
4. enforcing party discipline
5. and winning at least 10 legislative seats in the 2027 general elections.
He closed on a note of collective resolve: “I intend to lead as first among equals. I cannot clap with one hand.”
Delegates and observers were united in their enthusiasm. “This convention showed that youth-led democracy can be organised, transparent, and geographically inclusive,” said one independent observer.
A delegate from Gombe State described the ratification exercise as “democracy in its truest form.” The election of Mrs. Helen Adoh as National Secretary drew a standing ovation from women delegates across the hall.
Solomon Oyekunle, the party’s Director of Communications, summed up the day’s significance: “Today was not a convention, it was a covenant. Every officer sworn in today carries the weight of millions of Nigerians who were told that politics is not for them. We exist to prove otherwise.”
The convention closed in the early evening, leaving behind a party re-energised, re-structured, and re-committed to its founding mission.
