The Peoples Democratic Party governors allegedly rejected a proposed alliance and intend to field a weak candidate in the 2027 election to split opposition votes in favor of President Bola Tinubu, according to a coalition that includes former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and others.
Additionally, the group said that the PDP governors were “playing Asiwaju’s spoiler game, whether knowingly or unknowingly.”
Salihu Lukman, one of the coalition’s leaders, said in a statement on Wednesday that PDP governors acknowledge the party is irreparable and that Nigerians no longer view it as a credible choice since the ruling APC has essentially seized its fundamental principles.
Atiku, Obi, and a former governor of Kaduna State, the 2023 PDP presidential contenders, stated on March 20 that they had formed a coalition to beat Tinubu in the 2027 election.
Political leaders have responded differently to the move, which has spurred continuous discussions about the possibility of opposition unity.
In spite of this, the PDP Governors’ Forum, headed by Bala Mohammed, declared during a meeting on Monday in Ibadan that any attempts at coalition or merger were rejected.
The governors said, “The Forum decided that the PDP will not join any coalition or merger, taking note of the national rumors regarding potential political party, group, and/or organization mergers. However, in order to seize power and establish capable leadership in 2027, the PDP, a significant opposition party, welcomes any party, individual, or organization that is ready to join.
Speaking on behalf of the coalition’s national secretariat, Lukman emphasized the importance of the coalition in preserving and promoting healthy political competition in the nation as well as in restoring the integrity of political institutions, especially political parties.
“The PDP Governors Forum meeting on Monday, April 14, 2025, expressed its opposition to the effort to establish a broad coalition of opposition political parties, politicians, and other groups,” he said. In addition to defeating the APC and President Bola Tinubu, the coalition is a realistic way to prevent our democracy from collapsing. The coalition’s primary goal is to save Nigerian democracy, which entails restoring public confidence in politicians.But if the integrity of political institutions—particularly political parties—in maintaining and fostering political competition in the nation is to be restored, the alliance has also become essential. And nothing better embodies the tragic fact of our democracy’s demise than the PDP, the party that smugly claimed to have controlled Nigeria for 60 years after only 16 years in power.“The mere fact that the NEC meeting of the party has not been held for two years and no Nigerian can confidently tell who is really in charge of the party is evidence of this collapse. This should be the concern of leaders of the party, including its Governors. Unfortunately, all we have seen of the PDP Governors is the flagrant usurpation of the powers assigned to the organs of the party. This is wrong. It is also a clear demonstration that if left alone, the PDP Governors will only continue the path of destroying democratic institutions in the country.“As it is, all patriotic Nigerians who are committed to rescuing Nigerian democracy should recognise that the challenge facing us as a nation is beyond the romantic affiliation to so-called political parties such as the PDP, with many of its leaders operating as Trojan horses to the APC and President Tinubu’s government. It makes no sense to invest energy and resources in a party whose leaders are either appointees of the APC Government or undercover supporters. Otherwise, how can anyone justify the way PDP and its leaders are mismanaging themselves and practically putting themselves on the path of self-destruction and political irrelevance.”
The coalition leader accused PDP member and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike of being untouchable, not due to his work in the FCT, but because he has prevented the PDP from fielding a presidential candidate to challenge Tinubu in 2027.
The statement read in part, “For the avoidance of doubt, the coalition is fundamentally about rebuilding Nigerian democracy. Leaders of the coalition recognise this and, more importantly, recognise all the challenges ahead. Resolving these challenges and building the confidence of Nigerians is about restoring the value of political negotiations as critical and fundamental to guaranteeing the survival of democracy. Over the years, both the PDP and APC have demonstrated contempt for political negotiations and, to that extent, disrespected agreements in various ways.Nigerians have waited for the PDP to get back up and give the strong opposition that Nigeria requires for almost a decade since it had been out of power. Instead, until the raging APC led by Tinubu found a willing undertaker to ultimately put it to rest, the party slipped into suspended animation. The governors are aware that there is no remedy for the virus that infects the PDP. They’re just acting. They are aware that the ruling party has taken over the country’s spirit, and as a result, Nigerians cannot embrace this PDP as an option.
“Nyesom Wike is the untouchable super minister in Asiwaju’s government, not because of the sterling job he is doing in the FCT, but because he has done a great job of ensuring that the PDP is not able to present a presidential candidate to challenge Tinubu for power in 2027. However, with the growing coalition, that mandate has been adjusted in recent weeks. The new agenda is to revive the PDP to stand as a counterforce to the coalition, and present a candidate that would split the vote in 2027. This PDP Governor’s Forum is wittingly or unwittingly playing Asiwaju’s spoiler game, and they expect Nigerians to take them seriously.
“The survival of Nigeria and the future of democracy largely depend on how political actors seek to reverse this ugly reality. This is what leaders of the coalition have been painstakingly working on. The coalition is working hard to finalise negotiations towards unveiling the coalition, along with its structure, and programme of action for rescuing Nigeria. The expectation is that all political actors, including leaders of the PDP, would recognise the danger facing the country and join the coalition as a necessary and perhaps strongest response towards rebuilding Nigerian democracy. This has not happened. However, even as the PDP Governors and some leaders of PDP express.
“Nyesom Wike is the untouchable super minister in Asiwaju’s government, not because of the sterling job he is doing in the FCT, but because he has done a great job of ensuring that the PDP is not able to present a presidential candidate to challenge Tinubu for power in 2027. However, with the growing coalition, that mandate has been adjusted in recent weeks. The new agenda is to revive the PDP to stand as a counterforce to the coalition, and present a candidate that would split the vote in 2027. This PDP Governor’s Forum is wittingly or unwittingly playing Asiwaju’s spoiler game, and they expect Nigerians to take them seriously.
“The survival of Nigeria and the future of democracy largely depend on how political actors seek to reverse this ugly reality. This is what leaders of the coalition have been painstakingly working on. The coalition is working hard to finalise negotiations towards unveiling the coalition, along with its structure, and programme of action for rescuing Nigeria. The expectation is that all political actors, including leaders of the PDP, would recognise the danger facing the country and join the coalition as a necessary and perhaps strongest response towards rebuilding Nigerian democracy. This has not happened. However, even as the PDP Governors and some leaders of PDP express.
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