APC plotting one-party rule out of fear of 2027 defeat — PDP NEC

In a hard-hitting communique issued at the end of the 99th session of the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and read by the party’s acting National Chairman, Ambassador Iliya Damagum, the main opposition has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of orchestrating a “sinister plot” to destroy Nigeria’s multiparty democracy and entrench authoritarian rule.

“NEC stands in firm resistance to the sinister plot by the Tinubu-led APC to turn Nigeria into a one-party totalitarian state,” Damagum read at the end of the meeting, which held at Legacy House, Abuja, on Tuesday. “This is evident in the desperate attempts to strip and annihilate opposition parties through open threats and intimidation of opposition figures and institutions of democracy.”

The PDP said this was being driven by the APC’s “mortal fear of inevitable defeat in 2027” due to its “dismal failure in government.” NEC reaffirmed the PDP’s commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and “the supremacy of the will of the people as expressed through their free and unhindered participation in multi-party politics and governance.”

The party’s NEC also issued a scathing indictment of President Tinubu’s leadership, saying the country is “in a melancholic state” due to worsening insecurity, economic collapse, and rampant corruption. “The NEC condemns the worsening insecurity, wanton killings, and the violence against the people,” the statement said, accusing President Tinubu of “negligence and abdication” of his constitutional duty to protect Nigerians.

On the economy, the party described Tinubu’s reforms as “ill-advised and ill-implemented,” citing fuel subsidy removal, electricity tariff hikes, and multiple taxes as causes of business collapse, job losses, and soaring criminality. NEC further decried what it called “policy inconsistency, wholesale corruption, massive treasury looting, budget padding, and diversion of public funds,” which it said have led to infrastructure decay and loss of investor confidence.

“The PDP demands that this administration should rescind all its anti-people policies and take practical steps to address the insecurity and economic recession in the country,” the communique added.

Despite the political turbulence, the 99th NEC meeting was marked by a renewed sense of internal solidarity and forward planning. The party ratified the composition of key committees ahead of its national convention. Governor Duoye Diri will chair the zoning committee, with Governors Dauda Lawal and Kaleb Mutfwang serving as vice-chairman and secretary respectively.

The National Convention Committee will be led by Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, with Governors Ademola Adeleke and Peter Mbah as vice-chairman and secretary. NEC also received the resolution of the PDP South-East General Executive on the issue of the National Secretary, which will be deliberated at the next NEC meeting scheduled for 30 June.

At the opening session of the meeting, governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) vowed not to succumb to what they described as deliberate acts of political exclusion and intimidation by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government, declaring their unity and resilience in the face of mounting pressure and internal crises.

The Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, said the PDP governors are enduring significant political pressure but remain “resolute and unshaken.” “No amount of intimidation or exclusion by the federal government will make us give in,” Mohammed declared. “We are ready to tolerate and swallow all the melancholy, all the abuses that we will get. But we will not abandon the mandate.”

The meeting comes amid intensified political turbulence in the party, including a spate of defections by some senior members, the sealing of the PDP National Secretariat by FCT authorities allegedly over unpaid ground rent, and concerns over internal divisions. Governor Mohammed described the current political climate as “a different dispensation,” characterised by booby traps and defections.

Despite this, he praised PDP members and governors for their steadfastness. “Our members are standing strong and resolute. There is no cajoling or intimidation they haven’t faced. Yet, we are here today together,” he said. “We wish well to those who have left, but we believe they will return. This is not the first time people left PDP and came back.”

He emphasised that the party remains the “only one standing” amid reports of internal fractures in other political parties and reiterated the governors’ determination to remain visible and engaged in governance and national discourse.

The NEC meeting was relocated to Legacy House after the PDP National Secretariat was sealed on Monday in what many party leaders have interpreted as a politically motivated act. PDP governors and stakeholders, however, insisted on going ahead with the meeting to demonstrate their resolve. “The 99th NEC is, to us, a triumph of democracy,” said Governor Bala Mohammed. “It is a testament to good governance and resistance to the evil we are experiencing in this country.”

The PDP’s acting National Chairman, Ambassador Iliya Damagum, described the 99th NEC as a testament to the party’s enduring ability to overcome internal and external adversity. “People are outside waiting to see whether we can surmount these problems – some self-inflicted, others engineered. But with the help of God, we continue to overcome,” Damagum said.

He revealed that the NEC would address three critical agenda items and set a timeline for holding additional NEC meetings ahead of the party’s next national convention. According to him, the PDP plans to convene up to four NEC meetings in the coming months to resolve lingering issues and reposition the party for future contests. Damagum stressed that the PDP’s internal conflict resolution mechanism remains its greatest asset. “Even if it’s an alien causing the problem, we will solve it. That is the beauty of this party,” he said.

In his address, Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Adolphus Wabara, acknowledged the party’s internal challenges but urged leaders at all levels to embrace reconciliation as a moral imperative. “We must open our hearts to forgive, to dialogue,” Wabara said. “No ambition, no grievance, and no misunderstanding should override the collective interest of our party and the hopes of the Nigerian people.”

He called for a structured reconciliation process, inclusive of aggrieved members and youth, women, and technocrats, urging the party to once again become a “Big Tent” for all Nigerians yearning for justice and equity. “The ordinary Nigerian is tired – of hardship, of insecurity, of failed promises. They are looking for leadership that delivers and listens. Let this 99th NEC be remembered as a turning point,” Wabara said.

Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro, also pledged full support from PDP lawmakers in the National Assembly, describing the recent defections as “temporary setbacks.” “We are more than 34 now,” Moro said, referencing the founding number of PDP leaders. “With unity and strategy, we believe that PDP, with its ideas, will be the party to beat in 2027.”

He emphasised the need for confidence and cohesion to reassure Nigerians that the PDP remains the most viable alternative to the APC and is poised to return to power.

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