The Hijack of PDP: Governors, Damagum, and the Road to Tinubu’s Re-election
By Dare ADELEKAN
It is becoming increasingly clear, even to the politically indifferent, that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is undergoing a carefully orchestrated internal sabotage. This sabotage is not the work of external opposition, but a betrayal from within—executed by some of its most powerful stakeholders: the Governors, the Damagum-led National Working Committee (NWC), and a few self-serving opportunists.
During the last presidential election, it was evident that most PDP governors were not genuinely committed to the campaign of the party’s presidential flag bearer, Atiku Abubakar. While the activities of the G5 dissident governors led by Nyesom Wike were overt and widely reported, what went under the radar was the quiet treachery of others who, though not openly rebellious, worked behind the scenes to undermine Atiku’s chances. Among them was Seyi Makinde, Governor of Oyo State, who—despite hosting the PDP Governors’ Forum—pursued a selfish and ill-conceived ambition of becoming the next presidential flag bearer. In reality, his actions merely helped pave the way for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
This betrayal did not end after the 2023 elections. Instead of regrouping, restructuring, and reigniting the party base, the Damagum-led NWC went into hibernation. For over a year, no National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting was convened—an act of calculated negligence. Now, they’ve suddenly fixed a national convention for August. The motive? To ensure that by then, the NWC and other key party organs are packed with Wike’s loyalists, effectively turning the PDP into a domesticated opposition with no teeth to bite and no fire to fight.
Even more shocking is the party’s rejection of any coalition or alliance. Given its weakened state, one would expect the PDP to reach out, rebuild bridges, and create a broad-based front for 2027. But no—it insists on going solo. Why? Because the plan is not to win. The plan is to surrender.
Meanwhile, some of the loudest saboteurs—like Wike and former Governor Ayo Fayose—remain in the party, untouched and unpunished. Fayose openly campaigned for the APC in 2023. He publicly insulted PDP leadership, danced on the grave of the party’s electoral hopes, and yet continues to call himself a member of the PDP. That these figures haven’t been expelled is a direct indictment of Damagum’s NWC—inept, corrupt, compromised, and morally bankrupt.
The silence of PDP Governors in the face of these travesties is no longer political diplomacy—it is complicity. They are more concerned with preserving their governorship seats under Tinubu’s protection than standing for the values and survival of the PDP.
Unless urgent action is taken—by the Board of Trustees, founding fathers, and genuine patriots within the party—the PDP may become history by 2027. Not because it was defeated, but because it was willingly dismantled by those entrusted to protect it.
Now is the time to act. Tomorrow may be too late.
