…May NEC meeting in limbo
The main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), appears to be spiraling into a deeper political crisis, as growing disaffection among its governors and top stakeholders continues to cast uncertainty over its future – barely two years after losing the 2023 presidential election.
Indications have emerged that the 12 governors elected under the PDP platform have effectively distanced themselves from the national leadership of the party, raising serious doubts about the planned National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting expected to hold in May.
Stakeholders fear that the lack of cohesion within the party could leave it ill-prepared for the next electoral cycle in 2027.
Sources within the party confirmed to the Tribune Online that at least five PDP governors are already exploring alliances with either the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) or a new political coalition expected to emerge ahead of the next general elections.
This comes against the backdrop of an unrelenting internal crisis widely linked to the influence of the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and his allies within the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC).
The party’s national leadership remains deeply fractured, with a significant portion of NWC members openly opposed to the acting National Chairman, Ambassador Iliya Damagum, over his perceived allegiance to Wike.
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The political undercurrents have effectively immobilized the party’s top decision-making organ, leaving it unable to respond to major national issues as a credible opposition.
Of the 12 PDP governors, only Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has made his position known recently, aligning with the majority of NWC members by endorsing Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the party’s substantive National Secretary- against claims by Senator Samuel Anyanwu to the same post.
However, the current state of Makinde’s relationship with Wike remains unclear, especially after their alliance in the now-defunct G5 group that openly opposed the PDP presidential ticket in the run-up to the 2023 elections.
Despite previous public spats between Wike and some PDP governors such as Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, who is the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, and Duoye Diri of Bayelsa, many of these altercations have not translated into any overt show of support for the national leadership, further weakening the party’s cohesion.
In the past several months, PDP governors have conspicuously avoided the national secretariat in Abuja, and party operations have ground to a near halt.
Attendance at the party’s headquarters in the nation’s capital has dwindled, and senior members have voiced concerns that the party is rapidly losing the confidence and morale of its support base.
This internal disengagement is already manifesting in the party’s external affairs.
For instance, the PDP has struggled to attract aspirants for the forthcoming Anambra State gubernatorial election.
Despite extending deadlines for nomination and expression of interest forms, no credible aspirant has stepped forward – a rarity for a party that once held national dominance for 16 unbroken years.
Another sign of the party’s dwindling fortunes is financial.
Traditionally funded by its state governors, the PDP is reportedly now relying on a few individual patrons to survive, as the governors have halted financial contributions.
A senior party official lamented this development, stating: “The governors have not given us the money to be running the party, but we have been trying. There is no reason this party cannot survive. But it’s for the governors to show more interest.”
Compounding the crisis is the party’s inability to sanction prominent members for alleged anti-party conduct.
A member of the NWC, speaking anonymously, said the committee has been rendered impotent in the face of Wike’s perceived infractions.
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“Wike has done everything against the party. But we can’t do anything. Ask Damagum, ask (Sam) Anyanwu this question,” the official said.
The source compared PDP’s inaction with the Labour Party’s swift response to internal dissent.
“Look at Labour Party. They came out immediately and took a position. Look at us – we can’t even take a position on Rivers or what happened with Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.”
Many within the PDP see recent hostilities, including the revocation of the party’s Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) for its national secretariat by the FCT administration, as politically motivated.
One NWC member described the move as “personal,” linking it to Wike’s feud with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal over the 2023 presidential primary.
“It’s all about revenge,” the official said.
“Wike is angry with Atiku and Tambuwal. The best way to get back at them is to cripple them from within and make sure Atiku doesn’t get the ticket in 2027.”
When contacted, the Director-General of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Dr. Emmanuel Agbo, dismissed the claim of governors starving the party of funds.
“You don’t have to waste your time on falsehood,” he said, when asked to confirm the information.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, also declined comment when reached.
With only two years before the next general elections, party insiders now worry that the PDP, once Nigeria’s dominant political force, is slipping further into irrelevance.
Stakeholder worry that without urgent internal reconciliation and leadership renewal, the party’s viability as a national opposition platform may be in jeopardy.
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