The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) a dominant party in Nigeria for 16 years. In fact it was the biggest political party in Africa at that time.
Unfortunately, the fortune of the party has continued to dwindle in the past one decade after it lost the presidential election in 2015.
Some analysts have predicted that the party may not survive what some called the political hemorrhage.
What is happening to the one time ruling party can best be described as unprecedented in the history of the party. The party which once boasted that it will remain in power for 60 years has become a shadow of itself.
The PDP was formed in 1998 and by 1999 when the party won the presidential election, with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, then its candidate, emerging the first president in the fourth republic.
After that election the party controlled the two arms of the National Assembly, the Senate and the House of Representatives.
At the sub national level, the party controlled 21 states, but by 2019, after ten years, that number reduced to 16 states and as of today the PDP is controlling only 11 states.
This has compelled some analysts to predict that the number will further reduce by the time states like Akwa Ibom, Enugu and Osun States, which the grapevine claimed would most likely join the bandwagon.
The big question is whether PDP can survive the tsunami, considering what happened in Delta State where the whole party structure from ward level, to local government and state levels were dismantled and moved into the All Progressives Congress (APC).
There is also another bigger threat coming from the South East zone which many believe has been a PDP zone, except for the hiccups the party had in the 2023 general elections when Peter Obi, a son of soil was on the ballot under the banner of the Labour Party, when the people of the zone jettisoned their loyalty to PDP to support their son’s presidential aspiration.
The zone has recently voiced out its grievance when it tackled the party at the national level, alleging marginalisation and threatening to exit the party if one of its own, Hon. Sunday Ude- Okoye is not allowed to emerge as the National Secretary of the party.
The zone spoke with one voice during its zonal stakeholders meeting a few days ago, with prominent leaders in the region compelled to say, “Enough is enough” to the marginalisation by the main opposition party.
This was even as the governor of Enugu State and leader of the PDP in the zone, Dr. Peter Mbah, said it was time for the zone to speak with one voice, while the Chairman of PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Adolphus Wabara, and former governor of Imo State, Chief Achike Udenwa, expressed fury over what they described as the party’s constant act of disrespecting and trampling of the region.
The zone disclosed this in a communique read by the Zonal Chairman, Chief Ali Odefa, at the end of a meeting by the South East Zonal Executive (ZEC), at the Government House, Enugu on Wednesday.
It said the meeting was convened to nominate a candidate to complete the remaining term of the position of National Secretary in line with the directive of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), during its 600th meeting in Abuja.
Rendering the communique, Odefa said, “The South East ZEC exhaustively deliberated on the directive of the NWC and came to the conclusion that it offered a sure pathway to peace, unity, stability, and progress of our party. Consequently, the ZEC unanimously recommended Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the candidate to complete the term of office of the National Secretary.”
The South East PDP, however regretted that it had to go through the process of nominating Udeh-Okoye severally since October 2023, and urged the NWC to not only immediately ratify his nomination, but also ensure that Arch. Setonji Koshoedo effectively occupies the Office of the National Secretary in acting capacity pending Udeh-Okoye’s ratification by the NEC.
The South East PDP, however, threatened to review its continued membership of the party should its position suffer further delay despite its agelong loyalty to the PDP.
“The South East has consistently served as a stronghold of the PDP from inception. In PDP’s near three-decade existence, we have given our loyalty and all to the party.
“Currently, while the party has been losing key members post-2023 general elections, the South East PDP is at the vanguard of strengthening the Party by rallying major opposition figures such as in Enugu where the Labour Party, LP, gubernatorial candidate, two LP House of Representatives Members, numerous members of the House of Assembly, among other stalwarts into the PDP fold.
“Therefore, we hope that this time around, the position of the South East PDP regarding the Office of the National Secretary is accorded the honour and immediacy it deserves. This would bring to a closure to the needless lingering dispute over the matter.
“However, in the event that our position is not promptly implemented by the Party, the South East PDP, as a family, will be compelled to reconsider our relationship with the PDP going forward,” the communique concluded.
Wabara, on his part, said it was in order to review the region’s relationship with the party should what he described as trampling of the zone by the party persists.
“We have been trampled upon, not taken seriously. If such a position were vacant in the South- South, it would not be like this. And now, it came to us. I mean, the usual thing is to play politics with the Igbo man. Yes, we may have to reconsider our stand as far as the party is concerned. But I trust the NWC,” he stated.
Udenwa said, “We’re expecting that this issue will be finally ironed out once and for all. We do not want to be taken for granted by anybody again.”
Of concern to the Nigerians is the desperation of the ruling party to crush opposition parties and analysts are of the view that the nation’s democracy is in limbo.
Recall that not a few Nigerians expressed shock a couple of days ago when the national chairman of the APC, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje said that there’s nothing wrong with a one-party state
When asked whether the increasing defections from opposition parties could push Nigeria towards a one-party state, Ganduje dismissed the concern.
Ganduje, has stirred debate with his recent remarks suggesting that a one-party system in Nigeria might not be a bad idea.
He made the remarks on Friday, May 10, 2025, while addressing journalists after a visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Recall that Ganduje led three senators from Kebbi State, including Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North), and Garba Maidoki (Kebbi South), who were all elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but have now defected to the APC.
Chief Bode George, former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is very optimistic that the main opposition party will bounce back, even as he urged the citizens to be patient with the PDP.
According to him, those defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the main opposition party will be put to shame by the electorate during election.
The Atona oodua of Yorubaland who spoke on Arise TV on Tuesday while reacting to the defection of the three senators from Kebbi State who dumped the PDP for the ruling party in the senate on Tuesday, noted that as long as the election would be free and fair all those who have left PDP for the APC will be put to shame at the ballot.
He said, “All the defectors will be put to shame. What has the APC done that has positively impacted Nigerians that will make them want to vote for the APC again? Look at the issue in Delta State, when they got there, the Governor, the former Governor and all of them that landed in APC, met a structure. The fight will come out because those who are there before asked them, “what do you think, you’re coming to do? The electorate will see us come out and there’ll be fairness, justice and equity, and they’ll support us.
Speaking on those members who are still planning to leave, he said, “Those who don’t want to be part of us should be shown the gate, and it’s only NEC that can fire, not anybody else.”
While reacting to Ganduje’s comment that PDP will be totally dead by the end of the year and that the APC will get a decisive victory by 2027 general elections, George said, “Where did Ganduje come from? Did he not come from our party? Let me advise, that the methodology, the electoral process must not be tampered with. Please Mr. President, Mr. Ganduje don’t conflagrate this country. Allow the will of the people to be exhibited. There should be no interlopers, no manipulators. Allow the will of the people to prevail. Our party made Ganduje. He hasn’t been publicly elected through any convention or congresses. He was appointed by my friend, the President who said, “This APC I own it” Gnaduje is going from true democratic procedure to self-help procedure.
The PDP life member of Board of Trustees (BoT) appealed to Nigerians to be patient with the party, stating that by the 27th they would see a new Iroko tree, and they would be ready to put a smile on the faces of all Nigerians.
Also reacting to Ganduje’s comment, amid concerns that the action of the ruling party will impact the nation’s democracy negatively, Farouk Aliyu, a founding member of the APC and a former member of the House of Representatives, disagreed with the national chairman of the party, Dr. Umar Ganduje for saying that the country is better off as one-party state.
The APC chieftain, who spoke on Arise TV noted that one-party state is not good for democracy, stressing that the comment is a personal opinion of Ganduje and not the position of the party.
He said, “Definitely one-party state is not the best for us. In APC we’re not looking into one-party state. What Ganduje said is his personal opinion. It’s not the opinion of the party, even though he’s our leader but that’s not the position of APC to desire one-party state.
“However, I want you to note that it’s not our fault if anybody runs to APC. We’ve been in opposition, we stayed in opposition until when we found ourselves in the ruling party. With all the intimidations and so on and so forth. If the members of the PDP or other parties decide to join us, we won’t stop them. But, honestly having everybody join APC is not good for our democracy. Also democracy gives people the right to say, since all of you are in APC, we won’t vote for APC, we’ll vote for any other party. So, let this not scare anybody because the people will decide who to vote for. Whether 90 percent of Nigerians decide to join APC in terms of numbers but when it comes to voting, the people will decide who to go with.
“If the Nigerians don’t accept the gale of movement, they have the right to decide when elections come. When the other person spoke about intimidation, can you say, the former governor of Kebbi State was intimidated? This was the person who defeated a sitting governor, our sitting Governor of Kebbi State was contesting to be a senator and he defeated him. Now he has decided to join the APC. So, if you look at all these, what is our fault? The fault is that they’ve accepted what we’re doing as a government.
The APC has been variously criticised for its desperation to continue in power at the mercy of the country’s democracy. Some people have also blamed the ruling party for buying over members of the opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to Collins Eselemo, a chieftain of the APC, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, his predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa and others joined the ruling party without due consultation with the party members in the state.
The activist insisted that Oborevwori will not be the leader of the APC in Delta, saying that the Governor must right some of the wrongs done by members of the ruling party before they can be accepted,
He said, “The constitution of this country permits anybody to be associated with anybody, and anybody can come in. We have a leadership crisis in Delta State, and it’s because of the bone-picking between Omo-Agege and Festus Keyamo. So what is happening right now, the people who feel that they are leaders of the party, led by Keyamo, and another group led by Omo-Agege, you can give it to Ovie Omo-Agege. He has consolidated in terms of followership in the leadership of APC Delta. We’re not saying that they won’t be accepted, but it must be conditional. With the leadership of Asiwaju, somebody is telling me that Sheriff will direct me anywhere he wants to go. Festus Keyamo is telling me that Sheriff will lead me into corruption, into an area of no life support, then I’ll accept that. So that tells you the moral deficit in the leadership of APC itself. So we have every cause to complain of the conduct of the leadership of APC. And now that the PDP is coming in, are they coming in with their baggage? Sheriff is a liability. If we’re inheriting the village, let them say so. If APC paid back the 450 billion Naira owed by PDP at the expense of fellow Deltans, let them say so. Not until Sheriff rights the wrongs, because the offence people like us have committed, and some other people, is because we’re APC members. We were attacked by Sheriff, our lands were grabbed, compensation not paid, properties demolished, like the property of one of our APC members. That is because we’re in the opposition as APC members. Now we see Sheriff who has done so much damage to APC members in our midst. Asiwaju doesn’t need sheriff to win an election. Sheriff is inconsequential but inasmuch as we have accepted him, he should right the wrongs. And the president should take note that there are so many injuries meted on APC members in Delta state by sheriff himself and that needs to be unraveled.”
Expressing displeasure on the attack on democracy, the Middle Belt Forum (MBF) and the Committee for Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) noted that unless something is done urgently, the democracy which was fought for will just slip off the fingers of the citizens.
Dr. Isuwa Dogo, the National Publicity Secretary of MBF, in a chat with Daily Independent, noted that the state of the nation as of today, suggests that there’s no more democracy in Nigeria, stressing that the rot and corruption in government won’t allow democracy to thrive.
Dogo said, “I’m not sure if we’re practicing democracy in Nigeria. There’s hardly anything that’s not influenced in one form or the other, directly or indirectly. All elections, right from the councillorship at the local government to the presidency.
“In one form or the other, somebody, somewhere, a party, a group, an individual, a tribe, a religious organisation, and people with different interests will try to influence it.
Speaking further, he said, “Like this gale of defections, when Adams Oshiomhole was APC national chairman, would say if you come to APC, your sins are forgiven. That is to say, no matter how corrupt you are, if you go to the APC, there’s nobody that will touch you.
“But the most interesting aspect should have been that if you defect, you lose your position. Because you contested on the platform of the party. But that is not the case now.
“I think the National Assembly doesn’t even exist any longer. Because the whole beauty of the National Assembly is to represent the people.
Dogo noted that Nigeria’s democracy needs urgent help if it must survive, including ensuring that INEC is independent and officials are not appointed by the president.
On his part, Comrade Yinka Folarin, Deputy Vice President, CDHR, in a chat with Daily Independent said that the retrogression in Nigeria democracy may lead to its demise.
He said, “It’s very sad that after many years that we came back to an acclaimed democracy, we’re now seeing this level of retrogression. We now have democracy without freedom.
“With the prevailing situation in the country now, a situation where people have been coerced to join a party in order for them to sustain their corrupt practices is unfortunate.
“We could never have hoped for a one-party state or a democracy where the executive has successfully suppressed the other arms of government or even swallowed them. So, it’s a very sad one for the country.