WEDNESDAY April 30, 2025 |
By thenewsdesk.ng
The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday declared that it would soon sanction governors and elected public officers on its platform who are supporting the 2027 re-election bid of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to TheGUARDIAN reports, the party also instructed its Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, to prepare legal processes to take the Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori; Ifeanyi Okowa, the party’s former vice-presidential candidate, and the entire PDP structure in Delta to court for defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
At its first National Working Committee (NWC) meeting yesterday, the PDP disclosed that it had adopted all the recommendations of the last meeting held by the forum of its governors in Ibadan.
The Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Umar Damagum, speaking at a press conference attended by NWC members, announced that the NEC meeting would hold on May 27 as recommended.
On the defection of PDP members to the APC, Damagum said: “They (the APC) can coerce, cajole, and intimidate our members into joining them. But they can only do that because they feel they have what it takes.
“Nigerians, when the time comes, will show them the results of their actions, and they will receive the verdict from Nigerians. It has happened before, and it will happen again.
“The parameters that will make Nigerians revolt against them are all in place. This government has been so insensitive to the yearnings and feelings of the people.”
He further stated: “We are Nigerians; taxpaying, law-abiding citizens. We have rights. And when the time comes, Nigerians will show them that they have rights. 2027 is between Nigerians and Tinubu and the APC. So, I want to urge our supporters to remain calm.”
The PDP national leadership also directed the Emma Ogidi-led South-South zonal caretaker executive to take charge of the running of the party’s affair in Delta State pending the constitution of a caretaker committee.
The committee was mandated to move to Delta and take stock of the party’s inventory towards recovering them. Ogidi is also to search for new party leaders, while disregarding the existing leadership under Chief Dan Orbih.
“As far as the Electoral Act states, whenever you leave, you must vacate the position you occupied. We will pursue this. I also want to warn party members to remain faithful to the party,” Damagum added.
This came as Okowa explained that he decided to defect to the APC because “the PDP is not ready for the 2027 general elections”. He said former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is also on his way out of the PDP, adding that many Nigerians are already aware of this.
Speaking on Arise News, Okowa expressed regret for not aligning with his people in supporting a southern candidate in 2023 instead of accepting the role of Atiku’s running mate. He said, “Even when we were campaigning, I realised our people were not interested in having another northerner come into power.
“But the decision had already been taken at the federal level by the party, and I had been nominated. Still, in retrospect, I now believe I should have gone with the will of my people.” He added that the election of Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, proves that the people still have confidence in their leadership.
When asked about his communication with Atiku before leaving the PDP, Okowa responded, “I actually did communicate with him that we were going to have stakeholders’ meetings this week (last week) and that it was going to be a leadership meeting. The outcome of that meeting was going to determine our next path because we were no longer comfortable with the PDP.
“And I also know that he is already heading out of the PDP from the communications he has passed on to me, and Nigerians already know this.” Okowa continued, “I did not watch Senator Bukola Saraki speak, but I heard about what he said. Originally, I believed we are a political family in Delta, and once we take decisions together, I have to go with my political family because, without that family, I have no politics to play.
“Also, I did not expect someone like Saraki to speak concerning me because he has also moved to the APC before and returned, so I don’t think he has the moral right to speak about my defection.
“I did not want to engage in issues with people, but as stakeholders and leaders in the state, we have sat down to look at events in the last several months. Considering these events and the communication coming out from the leaders of the party, it does not appear to us at the moment that the PDP is the proper political vehicle for us to continue in.
“It also does not appear to us that the PDP is ready to be competitive in the 2027 elections. If a party, as currently led, decides to go it alone and is not ready for alliances or coalitions with other parties, how do they intend to compete?
“Having critically examined the situation, along with other issues such as the various court cases, the question of who the National Secretary of the party is, and many other matters, it does not appear that the PDP is ready to compete in the 2027 election.
“So, having looked at this alongside the belief that, as a political family in Delta State, we needed to move ahead, we decided it was time to take this step.” In a related development, the Good Governance Group of the PDP blamed the party’s internal crisis on Atiku’s ambition to contest every presidential election.
The group also criticised Mohammed Atiku, son of the former Vice President, for his remarks against Bauchi State Governor, Mohammed Bala, accusing him of not supporting his father in the 2019 and 2023 presidential elections.
In a statement signed by its Director of Media, Chidubem Ikenna, the group stated, “If your father had spent half as much time building real bridges as he does tearing down perceived opponents, perhaps he wouldn’t need you out here insulting those who once stood by him.
“The same Governor Bala Mohammed you now criticise openly stood with Atiku in 2019 and never asked for payback—only for mutual respect and fairness. Unfortunately, loyalty under your father’s leadership is a one-way street paved with arrogance and entitlement.”
The group accused Atiku of failing to build consensus and a platform within the party, alleging he focused solely on his ambition while surrounding himself with sycophants. It dismissed claims that Governor Bala Mohammed was the root cause of the PDP’s crisis, urging caution in assigning blame.
“It is time for you and those in your father’s camp to understand that no one, no matter how wealthy, experienced, or connected, is bigger than the party. The PDP is not a family business. It is not a retirement plan. And it is certainly not a vehicle to launder personal legacies at the expense of collective progress,” the statement added.
The group emphasised that Atiku’s defeat resulted from Nigerians seeing through his approach, describing him as “a man unwilling to adapt, unable to inspire, and incapable of winning without turning every ambition into a warpath.”
PDP To Sue Oborevwori, Others As Okowa Assures Of Atiku’s Imminent Decamp
