2027: PDP NWC meets next week to consider governors’ recommendations

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will convene next week to deliberate on critical recommendations made by the PDP Governors’ Forum (PDP-GF), including the nomination and ratification of a new National Secretary and timelines for the party’s convention and NEC meeting.

The PDP-GF, which met recently in Ibadan under the leadership of Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed and hosted by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, had advised the national leadership to resist merger talks with other opposition parties.

This recommendation comes amid rising speculation over a proposed coalition to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.

A key item on the governors’ agenda was the implementation of the Supreme Court’s ruling affirming that the deputy national secretary should act as the National Secretary pending the nomination of a substantive replacement from the South-East – where the position is zoned – and its ratification by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).

The governors also recommended that the NEC meeting be held on May 27, 2025, with the party’s elective convention tentatively scheduled for August 28–30 in Kano.

These recommendations, though non-binding, are seen as influential and are expected to shape the direction the party takes in the coming months as it prepares for the next electoral cycle.

Confirming the upcoming meeting, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Honourable Debo Ologunagba, told the Nigerian Tribune that the NWC would discuss not only the governors’ suggestions but other “critical issues germane to the party’s preparations for 2027.”

In a direct rebuttal to claims made by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, that the PDP may be unable to field candidates in 2027 if Senator Samuel Anyanwu is not retained as national secretary, Ologunagba emphasised the party’s commitment to internal processes and the rule of law.

“Wike will not be wagging the tail for the party to follow,” he said.

“Our party is a party of process, of policy, and of the Constitution. There are provisions within our Constitution that allow for succession in the event of a vacancy. The PDP will follow those processes.”

Ologunagba stated that the party would not be driven by the personal wishes of any one individual, regardless of status.

“If the wish of some people is that we will not have an organized system, then that idea is dead on arrival. The wish of anybody doesn’t make a difference for the party. This is a party based on democratic principles.”

He added that fears over the party’s viability in the next election cycle were unfounded, declaring that the PDP would not only contest but would do so “stronger than ever before and we will win.”

The PDP has been navigating internal tension following the Supreme Court’s ruling, which effectively removed Anyanwu as national secretary.

Wike, a former PDP governor and current minister in the APC-led federal government, has continued to wield significant influence within the party.

His recent comments are seen by many as a veiled attempt to preserve his political leverage heading into 2027.

However, party insiders insist that the leadership is determined to insulate its processes from individual influence.

“We will take decisions consistent with our Constitution. The constitution does not envisage the imaginations or wishes of people who want the party to collapse,” Ologunagba said.

He urged PDP supporters nationwide to remain confident, pointing out that the focus should remain on the failures of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), particularly in addressing the nation’s worsening insecurity and economic hardship.

“This government of APC has failed in the only true purpose of government: the security and welfare of its citizens. You can only have welfare when you have security, and right now, we have neither,” Ologunagba said.

“President Bola Tinubu has failed. The APC has failed across the country. That failure – not the wish of any individual – will be on the ballot in 2027,” he added.

Political observers believe the outcome of next week’s NWC meeting will be critical in determining whether the PDP can resolve its internal disputes and present a united front ahead of the next general election. With pressure mounting from both within and outside the party, the choices made in the coming weeks may very well define its future trajectory.

Meanwhile, the PDP has felicitated with Nigerians on the occasion of Easter, the Christian celebration of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, urging them to use the period to renew their hope in the assurance of God’s unfailing love and intervention in the affairs of the country and humanity.

In a statement by Ologunagba on Sunday, it charged Nigerians to use the import of the Easter, which signifies the ultimate triumph of God’s saving grace over adverse circumstances to reawaken their determination and hope for the much-desired national rebirth “as solution for the quagmires of hardship, insecurity and uncertainty pervading the nation under the anti-people All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.”

It added that the coming of Easter must also redirect Nigeria as a nation to the imperatives of the virtues of forgiveness, forbearance, mutual respect, obedience to the Rule of Law and love for one another without regard to sectional, tribal, religious or political considerations, as this is the only way our nation can survive this perilous time.

“Our Party charges all leaders at all levels, sectors and spheres to use the occasion for deeper introspection and rededicate themselves to a life of selfless service and pursuit of the good of the people as exemplified in the life, teachings, sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection ofJesus Christ to bring redemption to mankind.

“Against this backdrop, the PDP restates its demand on the APC-led Federal Government to rescind all its anti-people and life-discounting policies, address the ravaging insecurity, hunger and economic hardship in the country,” it stated.

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