• Lamido predicts mass decamp from APC
• Accuses Tinubu govt of pushing Nigeria towards disintegration
• Fubara hints at moving on, says ‘my spirit has already left there’
A storm of defections and deepening internal crises has thrown the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into turmoil, with its governors racing against time to rescue the party from a looming collapse.
The governors convened a meeting in Abuja last night. Top on the agenda was the urgent need to tackle the party’s internal wrangling, which triggered high-profile defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The leaders were expected to deliberate on strategies for unifying the party and curbing the defections to strengthen its standing ahead of the 2027 elections.
Taking place at the Bauchi State Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, the event drew the participation of current and former PDP governors, alongside other prominent party figures.
Among those in attendance were the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Iliya Damagum; former Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Seriake Dickson; Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang; Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke; former Osun State Governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; former Cross River State Governor, Liyel Imoke; former Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; former Abia State Governor, Okezie; and former Imo State Governor, Achike Udenwa, among others.
The meeting had barely begun when FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike arrived at the meeting venue in his black G-Wagon, dressed in a black jalabiya and a white cap.
They were also expected to discuss critical issues ahead of the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for May 27, as well as the potential for a convention in August.
There are growing concerns within the party that the May 27 NEC meeting may be disrupted or even cancelled, which could, in turn, jeopardise the planned August convention if key matters are not addressed swiftly.
This anxiety has been compounded by the recent depletion of the party’s ranks, following the defection of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, his predecessor Ifeanyi Okowa, and the entire PDP structure in the state to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
At its April 14, 2025, meeting, the PDP Governors Forum meeting resolved among others that it would not support the idea of forming a coalition against the ruling party in the 2027 election.
The governors said that as a major opposition party, the PDP would welcome any party, association, or group willing to join it, with a view to wrestling power and enthroning good leadership in 2027.
But Wike shortly after the Ibadan meeting granted an interview in which he openly declared his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 election.
The “Delta defections,” as some PDP stalwarts now describe them, were followed by another wave of defections, with lawmakers in Jigawa State and other party members leaving for the APC.
All three PDP senators from Kebbi State are reportedly set to join the APC, while it is rumoured that the governors of Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa, as well as the only PDP governor in the Southeast, may also defect to the APC.
Adding to the shock was the declaration by former First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan that she would support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. This development may have foreclosed the possibility of convincing former President Goodluck Jonathan to re-contest on the party’s platform in 2027.
As it stands, the North, which is reportedly dissatisfied with President Tinubu’s leadership style, may opt to support another Southerner to challenge the incumbent President under the PDP’s platform. The only candidate from the South with a constitutional right to serve one term is Jonathan. However, that possibility now appears remote following Dame Jonathan’s declaration of support for President Tinubu in 2027.
The meeting was also necessitated by the ongoing imbroglio surrounding the Supreme Court case regarding the position of the party’s National Secretary. However, a party source and member of the National Working Committee disclosed that a resolution has been reached, with the deputy national secretary instructed to continue acting in the role until the convention is held in August.
Another likely agenda at the meeting may be the position of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar within the party.
Although the former Vice President has not officially decamped to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as has been speculated in recent weeks, party stakeholders remain uncertain about the stability of the Turaki of Adamawa within the PDP.
According to an insider, the governors may seek to clarify this matter and also decide whether the current PDP leadership should strategically concede the next presidential ticket to a Southerner, under a firm agreement that such a candidate would serve only one term to allow power to rotate back to the North in 2031.
It was gathered that this issue has become highly sensitive within the party ranks, with some northern members arguing that if a southern president is likely to seek two terms, it would be better to allow President Tinubu to complete his constitutional two terms by 2031, after which power would return to the North.
Yesterday’s meeting followed an earlier one held by the governors three weeks ago in Ibadan, where they declared that the party would not participate in the coalition talks led by Atiku and former Kaduna State Governor Malam Nasir El-Rufai. Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori was notably absent from the Ibadan meeting.
The Abuja meeting, held at the Bauchi State Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, also took place amid concerns and uncertainties ahead of the long-awaited meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) scheduled for May 27.
Sources revealed that the meeting would likely address rumours of further defections and the ongoing crisis within the party, which has already led to the departure of figures like Oborevwori and Okowa.
The three main blocs currently strategising for the May 27 NEC meeting are the PDP governors, the Atiku Abubakar bloc, and loyalists of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
MEANWHILE, former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, has expressed optimism about the PDP’s prospects, predicting that some APC members, including the National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje, would soon return to the PDP.
“I’m confident that all those who left the PDP will return, including Ganduje, because very soon, the APC will burst and split into factions,” Lamido said. He reiterated his belief that the PDP would rise with full force to reclaim power in 2027.
“I said it, and I repeat: within six months, all those who defected to the APC will come back, and the PDP will rise with full force to wrest power in 2027,” he declared.
Speaking at the PDP state congress and election of new executives at Aminu Kano Triangle in Dutse, Lamido also expressed concern that the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government is endangering Nigeria’s unity due to its “failed mission, lost focus, and harsh economic policies.”
He criticised the government as deceitful and lacking the competence to deliver good governance.
“Nigeria is drifting to a tunnel of disintegration with mushroom cabals as implementers of bad policies, and the mission of President Tinubu lacks objectives of good governance for success and prosperity,” he said.
Lamido called for collective action to address what he described as the APC’s catastrophic policies. “For us to be out of this catastrophic monopoly, all hands must be on deck in jetting out this so-called misled crop of architectors… people with failed mission and objectives,” he stated, adding that the country needs a leader with “human compassion, decency, uprightness, and dedication.”
Addressing the newly elected PDP executives, Lamido urged them to prioritise honesty and hard work. “I charge all our newly elected state’s PDP Exco to eschew selfishness, greed… and work tirelessly for the success of the PDP in 2027, to enact a purposeful leadership in meeting the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians,” he said.
IN a related development, the suspended governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, has said he is not desperate to return to office.
Fubara made the statement at a service of songs held in honour of the late elder statesman, Edwin Clark, in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The event was organised by the Rivers Elders Forum yesterday.
The embattled governor was responding to several speakers at the event who referred to him as “Governor” and strongly criticised his suspension, calling for its immediate reversal.
He distanced himself from their remarks, describing them as personal opinions. According to him, such comments were unlikely to promote peace.
“Not everything is by oshogbe,” he cautioned, hinting at his preference for a more strategic and less confrontational approach to the ongoing political crisis.
He stressed that as a leader, he was quite aware of the enormous responsibilities before him and was doing what needed to be done within the ambit of the law to restore normalcy in a bid to move the State forward.
Fubara added that he now enjoys peace of mind and appears even healthier and emphasized the importance of drawing inspiration from the life and values of late Pa Clark, particularly his commitment to peace, unity, personal sacrifice, and statesmanship.