The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT) has said the African Democratic Congress ( ADC) unveiled recently by some opposition politicians as their preferred platform for the 2027 general elections would not gain traction.
The Board stated this at a Conference of PDP Founding Fathers and Stakeholders with the theme: “Reclaiming our Legacy, Renewing our Collective Vision,” yesterday, in Abuja.
Secretary of the PDP BoT, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, who spoke on behalf of the board, noted that while the party was not necessarily against a coalition for the 2027 polls, it was against a coalition that is doomed to fail.
He explained that for any coalition of opposition parties to succeed, it ought to have been led by the PDP as the dominant opposition party. He expressed optimism that members of the PDP, who left for the ADC would eventually return once the party gets it right with its convention.
The PDP leader said while the party has been able to resolve its dispute over the national secretary position, which held it down for months, the ADC has a bigger challenge awaiting it.
According to him, “What we are against is a coalition that cannot work. We are saying that PDP is the leading party, leading opposition party. Any such thing should be under the leadership of our party. That is what Nigerians want to hear. And that is the difference in language.
“Why is that one (ADC ) not going to work? They are our friends, they will come back. You see we had internal issues. It has to do with the office of the national secretary. It took legal issues, INEC regulation issues. We said let’s bury the hatchet. Let’s move to a convention, unite and elect new national officers that will drive the party. That is in one office, it took us that long.
“But the issue in the ADC, it is the entire structure in the country you are talking about. It is not about one position. I took the liberty, just to know where I am, in my state to request for the certified true copy of the leadership structure (of the ADC) and it was given to me officially and it was clear that their tenure will expire May 2026.
“So, if somebody has given you structure now, which structure? You see the legal mess people are working into. Majority of them that have moved, I am confident that by the time we conduct a very successful national convention and do the needful, an overwhelming majority will return. Not only will an overwhelming majority return, we will also get other people from other parties that will come and join the PDP.”
The chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, while speaking at the event, said it was not a smart idea for any person to leave the major opposition party for any other party.
Mohammed, who stated that members of the party who had left would be proven wrong eventually, urged them to quickly return to the fold.
Nonetheless, the Bauchi Governor said the PDP would no longer tolerate indiscipline within its fold, noting that there would be no room for people who want to remain in the opposition party and associate with the coalition platform.
He said: “If somebody wants to leave the PDP to go to another place, how is this smart in thoughts and in thinking? Because the PDP has history, a legacy, a structure everywhere and the governors are doing their best. But because we are being hunted; we know what we are going through and it is not for us to be cowardly and be talking about it.
“Yes, politics is local. Some may go due to certain reasons, certain permutations and calculations but I think they will be proved wrong. Even our elders that have gone; we don’t want to diminish them, we don’t want to denigrate or abuse them. We are telling them with humility: come back. That’s what the National Chairman has said, come back.
“This is what you have built. Where there are governors, where there are senators, members of the Houses, speakers, offices, local government chairmen, you are going to a party that has no office. How is this? How do you want me to live with this and go to a blue weather? It’s a malady.
“But certainly, we reason with them. Maybe, in terms of their own calculation, they want to actualise their aspiration to get tickets. But, do you want to get a ticket and lose? So, please, come back. You have no reason to go anywhere.”
Furthermore, the Bauchi Governor said: “We don’t want to join issues with anybody or contradict out of humility and respect for our elders who brought us up. But certainly, as the chairman has said, we cannot take indiscipline to a level where it becomes contagious. If you are in PDP, you are in PDP.
“You cannot be in PDP and be in coalition with another party. We cannot do this. But you have all the time to decide. Coalition is an aberration, yes, I said it.
“You cannot belong to two places. You cannot be an hermaphrodite. You cannot be a man and a woman at the same time. Be who you will be. But we will still give you the opportunity to have a thought, because you are our leaders. But, if you are going, don’t market us. The marketing of the PDP is not fair.
“Most of you actualised your political aspirations through this party. Some of them left us and caused our loss in 2015, yet we accommodated them. And they left and came back. Some of them became governors, and some of them took tickets. It is only in PDP you get that.
“But sadly, we still respect them. But they should respect us too. We are not afraid of anybody in politics. You are standing time behind me to work for you and for Nigerians. And we are not going to join issues.”
Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, in his speech at the event, said a lot of people were leaving the PDP out of anger. However, Saraki, who stated that he has once left the opposition party in anger, said anger was not the solution to leadership issues.
He noted that while it is true that the PDP has some challenges, the other political parties, including the ruling All Progressives Congress ( APC) are not free from crises.
“Yes, the party will have its challenges and is having its challenges. But the question we should ask ourselves is: should we abandon this party because of these challenges? Yes, mistakes have been made in the past, but the question still remains: should we abandon this party?
“I stand here as someone who has experienced being in this party and not being in this party. I stand here as somebody who left this party with anger. Anger does not solve problems in leadership. A lot of people are leaving the party now, and leaving with anger. We must not leave; if we have to leave, it must be based on ideology, based on plans, based on a vision for Nigeria, not on anger.
“Yes, we have problems. But the other parties that we’re talking about also have problems. The other parties, especially the ruling party today, have already spent almost 12 years in government. Is their record any better than PDP’s? Of course not. So what are they offering Nigerians?
The former Senate President tasked the PDP leaders to resolve that leaving the opposition party for another platform was not an option.
“Let me tell all of us here; history will not be fair to any of us if under our watch, God forbid, this party goes down. So, we don’t have an alternative. It must be seen that we gave it all it took. We did our best to rescue this party, not to abandon it and run out. It is not acceptable.”
Former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki, in his remarks, said it is time the party gets itself together and sets its priorities right.
Turaki said it was baffling that some persons who abandon the PDP, only to get preferential treatment when they return at the detriment of loyal members.
“I agree with our Chief Servant that some individuals are naturally nomadic and will remain so. What is baffling, however, is that people leave, others stay behind to build and grow the party, and then those who failed on their political adventures come back, and sometimes, receive preferential treatment over the loyal members who stayed behind.
“What would have happened if everyone left? Would there be any party to return to? Mr. Chairman, Your Excellencies, I think it’s time we set our priorities right,” he stated.
The sun
