PDP spokesperson downplays defections of Governor Mbah, other top members
The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Debo Ologunagba, on Tuesday expressed confidence in the future of the party amid myriads of crisis and continued loss of state governors and other key members to other rival political parties.
Mr Ologunagba boasted that the PDP does not need the influence of governors but the public support of mass of Nigerians to win the 2027 general elections.
The PDP spokesperson, who appeared on an Arise News programme, said, “The strength of the PDP is in the people and that will come to the fore in 2027, whether or not there are governors.”
His remarks followed the defection of the Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, from the PDP to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) earlier on Tuesday.
Mr Mbah’s defection shrunk the number of states under the PDP’s control to just nine states – Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba, and Zamfara. It has also increased the number of states controlled by the APC to 24.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Mbah defected to the APC along with all the commissioners, elected chairpersons of the state’s 17 local government areas, all elected councillors and at least 80 per cent of the PDP executives in the state.
Mr Ologunagba stressed that a day of consequence awaited those abandoning the party. He said, “People have gone through this route before; people have undermined this party from within, and today you see them struggle in another party trying to catch a glimpse, get a face on camera, on TV because of what they did in PDP. There will be a day of reckoning.
“And Nigerians know, and that is why 2027 is going to be about the government, the people, hunger, insecurity, that will be on the ballot. All of these will be transient as it were, and this party will come out strong.”
However, he noted that he was not discounting the strength of leadership at the grassroots. Mr Ologunagba also said the interest in the affairs of the PDP from the public showed that the party was not in a state of “comatose”.
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Despite the challenges in the party, he expressed hope in its ability to overcome.
The party has continued to face massive defection. In July, four senators defected from the PDP to the APC. They are Francis Fadahunsi (Osun), Olubiyi Fadeyi (Osun), Akon Samson (Akwa-Ibom), and Aniekan Bassey (Akwa Ibom).
APC now has 70 senators, while PDP has 28.
Earlier in April this year, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, his predecessor and PDP’s 2023 Vice Presidential candidate Ifeanyi Okowa, along with their supporters defected to the APC.
Also in this year, former Vice President and the 2023 presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President David Mark and many other notable political figure also defected from the PDP to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC).