The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is facing its worst time as a political party in Nigeria.”Blame games as PDP suffers worst fate in history”
Apart from the 2015 general elections, when then Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State led four of his colleagues out of the party, the PDP has never had it so bad.
The recent gale of defections from the party to the All Progressives Congress, APC, has ultimately put the once viable party in a state of confusion.
While defectors blame happenings in the party for their decision, others see them as selfish politicians.
Four governors dump PDP for APC in 2025
Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, his immediate predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa, and all members of the PDP in the state had in April this year defected to the APC and opened the flood gate of defections.
The announcement was made in Asaba, the Delta State capital, by Senator James Manager, shortly after a meeting that lasted over six hours at the Government House, Asaba
In June, Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State followed suit when he officially defected from the PDP to APC, ending months of speculation over his possible move to the ruling party.
Eno, who has announced his decision at a town hall meeting in Ikot Abasi, said “it is time to move” and align the state to APC at the federal level, adding that his decision was taken after extensive consultations.
The Pastor-turn governor, who went biblical, aligned himself with the children of Ichaka in the Holy Bible, who were able to interpret the times and flow with the tide as a justification for joining the APC.
Peter Mbah – Enugu State
On Tuesday, Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, while announcing his defection from the PDP to the APC said he joined the ruling party because the voice of his people was not recognized.
Dismissing claims that his defection was a betrayal of the PDP, a platform under which he was elected, Mbah his decision rooted in the belief that the former ruling party could no longer “serve the people optimally.”
He said: “This is not a betrayal; it is also not abandonment.
“It is more about understanding that I was entrusted with the people’s mandate by the people, and it is also a responsibility on me to carry that same mandate on a platform that will best serve the people.”
Douye Diri – Bayelsa
A day later, Wednesday, the news of Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State’s defection from the PDP to the APC was announced by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah.
Alabrah announced Diri’s resignation from the PDP alongside the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Abraham Ingobere and all the party members in the state legislature.
With the defections, some stakeholders within the political sphere have expressed their views over the development and its implication on the PDP ahead of 2027 elections.
PDP paying price over Atiku’s refusal to respect zoning in 2023 election – Peter Obi’s ex-aide, Katchy Ononuju
Former Special Adviser on Public Affairs to ex-Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, Katchy Ononuju, said the PDP is paying the price for ex-Vice President, Atiku Abubakar’s refusal to obey zoning during the build-up of the 2023 presidential election.
Ononuju said if PDP has adhered to zoning during the last presidential election, it won’t be battling with its current crisis.
“If Atiku had respected zoning, PDP wouldn’t be where it is now, because he refused that’s why we are where we are. That being where we are is the PDP. If Atiku hadn’t run today the PDP would have been president because the combined votes of the party have been so much that we would not be where we are.
“So, what I tell everybody, since this has been opening up, is that the party will bring a strong lesson for people next time to respect zoning.
“When you refused to zone in 2023, the Southerners did exactly the same thing the Northerners did in 2015, and this led the party to go and vote for the Buhari coalition, and that was then also formed by members of the nPDP, because it is their joining of the APC coalition that brought this.
“So, the party should have learnt and not allowed Atiku Abubakar’s insistence to make it refuse to zone. It has finally found its mistake and that’s why it has now zoned to the South. But as we’re seeing, it seems so late. But then it’s also a good thing it has set the tone.
“I tell everybody who’s listening, now you can see that Atiku Abubakar’s inordinate ambition has finally killed the PDP.”
PDP can bounce back
Ononuju noted that the former ruling party can still bounce back ahead of the 2027 elections.
He said: “If they can fix it back, if it comes down to its convention, it’s still the party with the most ability to do better than anyone else, because it has done the fundamental correctness and it has zoned to the South. Yes, it can bounce back in 2027 because the idea of having the governors cross over to APC simply means it will not be easy for the PDP to go on without its governors.
“But don’t forget, Atiku Abubakar won in a lot of states that were controlled by the APC coalition in the last elections. So sometimes the voting population does not exactly go with whoever the governor is at the top.
“Don’t forget, Tinubu was in control of Lagos with Sanwo-Olu, but they lost Lagos state to Peter Obi. Same thing I will tell you about FCT that was under the presidency and yet the APC lost to Peter Obi.”
