Nigerians No Longer Trust PDP — Ex-Gov Suswam

TUESDAY April 15, 2025 |
By thenewsdesk.ng

Former Benue State governor, Gabriel Suswam, has said that many Nigerians no longer trust the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), blaming the party’s decline on poor leadership and unresolved internal crises.

Speaking during an appearance on Arise Television’s The Morning Show on Tuesday, April 15, Suswam warned that unless the PDP overhauls its leadership and selects a credible presidential candidate, it stands no chance in the 2027 general election.

“There are many fundamental problems in PDP and those problems have not been sorted out. So, a lot of people, in their minds are no longer in PDP, a lot of stakeholders and that’s because of the failure of leadership in PDP,” he stated.

The former governor added that the PDP had no business struggling in elections, given its deep-rooted presence across the country. However, he said that poor leadership had eroded public trust.

“Two factors that can enhance PDP’s chances in the next election. The first is transparent leadership. People have lost confidence in PDP completely. This is a party that has structures all over the country, but because of a lack of good leadership, that has diminished substantially,” he said.

“The second issue is the candidate. When we talk about candidates, let us have people who have interests. It is not just about somebody sitting and saying I want to be presidential candidate of PDP, that will not suffice.”

Suswam also criticised the practice of handing the party’s ticket to the highest bidder, calling instead for merit-based leadership and genuine interest in national development.

His remarks come amid fresh tensions within the party, following a decision by PDP governors to reject any coalition or merger ahead of the 2027 election — a position that stands in contrast to Atiku Abubakar’s push for a broad-based opposition alliance.

In a communiqué issued after their meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Monday, April 14, 2025, the governors declared, “The party will not join any coalition or merger.”

Atiku, who has contested for president multiple times and flew the party’s flag in both 2019 and 2023, has been at the centre of merger talks involving opposition parties.

Hours after the governors’ decision, PDP Board of Trustees member, Chief Bode George, warned that giving the 2027 ticket to Atiku would be disastrous for the party.

George said Atiku’s emergence as the party’s 2027 presidential candidate will signify the end of the PDP in Nigerian politics.