The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has vowed to reclaim its mandates in Delta State through legal means following the defection of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and other top party leaders to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
This was one of the key resolutions reached at the meeting of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), presided over by Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Iliya Damagum, at the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Damagum described the defections as a betrayal of the people’s mandate and a deliberate act of political sabotage, but insisted that the PDP remains undaunted.
“We’ve instructed the national legal adviser to recover our mandate that they have taken away,” Damagum said.
“The fortune of this party cannot just be left in the hands of our adversaries. The Electoral Act is clear – if you leave the party, you leave the seat.”
In a bid to regain control of its political structure in Delta, the NWC directed the South-South Zonal Caretaker Committee, led by Chief Emma Ogidi, to take charge of the party’s operations in the state.
The zonal body has been mandated to relocate temporarily to Delta to take inventory of PDP assets and oversee affairs pending the appointment of a full caretaker committee.
“We’ve also dissolved all the existing structures of the party in Delta State since the majority of them have shifted loyalty,” Damagum added. “And in no time, we will constitute a new caretaker committee to manage the party’s affairs in the state.”
The NWC also reviewed and adopted recommendations regarding the lingering issue of the party’s National Secretary, as well as plans for the upcoming National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting and national convention.
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“We have adopted the recommendations laid down during the Ibadan meeting and we are forwarding them to NEC,” Damagum clarified.
“Only NEC can take a final decision on the matter. We are also proposing that the NEC meeting hold on the 27th of this month, and the convention is being considered for the end of August – around the 28th, 29th, or 30th.”
Damagum used the opportunity to reassure party members and supporters that the PDP remains intact and will emerge stronger.
“This party has survived all sorts of machinations in the past—this one is just a child’s play. Come 2027, Nigerians will speak. They can cajole or intimidate our members, but the suffering Nigerians are going through under this current administration will not be forgotten,” he said.
He called on members to stay united, noting that the PDP’s strength lies in its ability to resolve internal crises.
““If someone is looking for an excuse to justify his defection, let him say what he wants. But the NWC is intact, and the PDP remains one indivisible party.”
The defection of Governor Oborevwori – along with his predecessor and former Vice Presidential candidate Ifeanyi Okowa – dealt a major blow to the PDP’s hold on Delta, a key stronghold.
However, the party’s leadership insists it is prepared to fight back in the courts and at the grassroots.
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