It is stock taking time in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as defection from the party continues to mount ahead of the 2027 elections.

Two of the party?s state governors ?Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta) and Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom)- and many of its legislators at the federal and state levels have switched allegiance to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last few months, and more are said to be holding consultations preparatory to their defection.

The PDP has also lost or is about to lose some of its ranking members to the budding coalition anchored on the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

A stalwart of the party and chairman of its Reconciliation Committee, Dr.Bukola Saraki, confirmed recently that the PDP expects some more of its governors to call it quits in due course.

Although the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, said during the week that the PDP was yet to take a position on the exit of some party members to ADC, The Nation gathered that the party was shocked by the resignation of former Senate President David Mark, a founding member of the party.

Mark, in a June 27 letter addressed to the PDP Chairman in his Otukpo Ward, Benue State, cited deep, unresolved internal issues that have left the party a shadow of its former self and exposed it to public embarrassment.

He was Immediately named the interim national chairman of ADC.

Other top members of PDP who have publicly identified with the coalition are 2023 presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Chief Tom Ikimi who was appointed chairman of the PDP National Disciplinary Committee (NDC) in August last year, former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, former Ebonyi State Governor Sam Egwu, former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam, former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal and former national publicity secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan.

With the exception of Mark, the others are not known to have formally resigned their membership of PDP.

This dual association has further unsettled the PDP which has been battling an internal crisis since the 2022 national convention that produced Atiku as presidential candidate.

Only on Friday, a former Deputy National Chairman of PDP, Chief Olabode George, berated Atiku and Mark for abandoning the party after precipitating the current crisis.

?You can?t serve two masters, as stated in the Holy Book. You either serve A or you serve B. But to say you are in A and B is a fallacy,? George said on Channels Television.

He added: ?This is your father?s house. The house made you, brought you into the limelight. You gained every laurel and recognition from this same house. And because there is a little crisis, is leaving the cultural thing to do? No, you sit in there.

?If you have a house that is leaking, do you run out? No, you are the landlord.?

However, Ologbondiyan has said there is nothing wrong in identifying with the coalition and remaining in PDP if the party sees nothing wrong in the Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike working for an APC government while he remains a PDP member.

Sources said the gale of defections will feature prominently during the party?s 101st NEC meeting scheduled for July 23.

Also top of the NEC meeting agenda is arrangements for the upcoming national convention.

Ologunagba said the PDP leadership would rather concentrate its attention on plans for NEC meeting and the national convention.

A member of the party in the House of Representatives who requested anonymity wondered why no top official of PDP has explicitly condemned those leaving for ADC.

?There are good reasons why most party members are not in a hurry to condemn those who are joining ADC. You cannot read intentions from people?s faces, and no one knows who is going or not going yet,? the Rep said.

?In the likely case that their new party runs into legal troubles, all of the new ADC people will have to run back to their former parties, and you must have noticed that many of those who claim to be leaving PDP are dragging their feet, with some of them claiming that it is because they need to resign first from the ward level in their distant town or village.?

While the Chairman of PDP Governors? Forum, Senator Bala Mohammed, claims the party can only work with willing opposition groups without surrendering its independence or strength, chairman of PDP?s Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara, believes that PDP will continue to survive plots aimed at sabotaging the party.

?I have always contended that this party will never die, no matter what her detractors feel. This party will never die. We shall survive. The god of politics is in this party,? Wabara told party leaders during a meeting held immediately after the ADC announced some PDP bigwigs, including former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, as its new members.

Adeleke dismisses defection speculations, remains with PDP

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke yesterday reaffirmed his membership of the PDP and denied speculations that he was on his way to the APC.

The governor?s spokesman Olawale Rasheed said in Osogbo that Adeleke was preoccupied with the implementation of the administration?s five point agenda, urging Osun people to ignore fake news.

He promised more delivery of good governance and democratic dividends.

?I assure the good people of Osun that I remain part and parcel of the PDP family. I am not defecting to any party?, the governor noted.

Presidential spokesperson, Mr. Sunday Dare, yesterday cautioned politicians coalescing under ADC with the objective of unseating President Bola Tinubu in 2027 to abandon their aspirations and prepare for 2031 instead.

Speaking in Abuja, Mr. Dare dismissed the emerging opposition bloc as a collection of ?disgruntled politicians? driven by ?avarice? rather than national interest or genuine concern for justice.

?The Presidency already rests with the region rightfully due. And that?s where it will be till 2031,? he said, insisting that President Tinubu remains firmly in control, with his democratic credentials and governance record unmatched by any member of the new coalition.

Mr. Dare argued that the politicians rallying around the ADC were not motivated by any desire to correct injustice in the political system, as they claim, but rather by a selfish desire to access public funds.

?There is no injustice to redress?only avarice ambition to satisfy the cravings of a few for the control of the national treasury,? he said.

Dare argued that the coalition lacks what it takes to replicate the success of the APC?s 2015 victory.

His words: ?In 2013, the merger that birthed the APC was driven by selflessness, national interest and strategic discipline. The leaders at the time were willing to set aside personal ambitions for the greater good.

?Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, despite commanding the loyalty of several sitting governors, chose to wait. He bided his time, played the long game and focused on building a viable political platform,? he explained.

Highlighting Tinubu?s political strength, Dare added: ?He had never lost an election, and he didn?t have to force his way in.

?Today, no one in this coalition commands that kind of loyalty or trust. Not one of them could genuinely unite a ward, let alone a country.

?No one comes close to parading the democratic credentials of President Bola Tinubu,? he said.

Coalition no threat to Tinubu second term, says ex-Rep Faparusi

A former member of the House of Representatives from Ekiti State, Bamidele Faparusi, says he does not see the coalition against the re-election of President Tinubu succeeding.

?I have not seen any of their leaders tell Nigerians what they will do better or how they are planning to improve their lives. It?s all about power grabbing. Nigerians can?t be fooled,? Faparusi said in Ado Ekiti.

He expressed confidence that Ekiti State All Progressives Congress (APC) led by Governor Biodun Oyebanji will deliver the state 100% for President Tinubu, which he believed will be replicated in other APC controlled states.

He added that the reforms being undertaken by APC at the federal level have begun yielding fruits.

?With the raging divisions within the opposition groups, PDP is no longer a threat even if it reorganises itself,? he said.

He added: ?The new coalition lacks capacity to put up any fight against APC that is robustly on ground in all the 774 local government areas, 8,809 wards and 176, 974 units in the country.?

Place citizens? interest above partisan issues, political scientists counsel politicians

The Nigerian Political Science Association (NPSA) urged politicians to prioritise welfare of citizens above personal or group interests.

The association said in a statement in Ilorin that the current preoccupation with electoral politics has diverted attention from critical development issues in the country.

It lamented that global statistics on poverty, unemployment, peace, debt overhang, and cost of living paint a grim picture of the nation?s progress.

In the statement signed by NPSA President, Prof Hassan Saliu, the association noted that the 2027 elections have already begun to shape the political landscape, with both the ruling party and opposition engaging in intense politicking.?

It said none of the political parties has articulated a progressive agenda that offers concrete solutions to these challenges.

It said: ?As Nigeria navigates the complexities of its democratic journey, politicians must prioritise the welfare of citizens over partisan interests.?

The NPSA counseled that while political associations are a hallmark of democratic systems, the timing of these activities is crucial.

It urged politicians to take a break from campaigning and focus on serving the people.

The NPSA lamented the perpetual decline in living standards and called on politicians to work towards reversing the trend. (The Nation)

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