The People’s Democratic Party will test its popularity in the 2027 general elections, hoping to prove to Nigerians that its strengths can hold up against the might of its eternal rival, the All Progressives Congress.
For all its braggadocio, however, the fate of the party, in case it should taste defeat in the elections, is still uncertain.
Analysts and even members of the party have warned that an uninspiring outing, especially in the coming presidential election, would spell potential doom for the once-dominant political force.
Stakeholders, too, in the PDP, like a long-time party faithful and chieftain, Bode George, have emphasized how members are caught in a precarious position foisted on them by leaders of the party who should be building it up.
The former Deputy National Chairman of PDP, who noted that the party could kiss the political airwaves goodbye in 2027 because of the lingering national leadership crisis facing it, admitted that disaster awaits the party if it does not unite and deal with “funny characters” within its ranks.
He said, “We’ve found ourselves in our current situation due to a self-inflicted crisis.
“We should bury our individual ambition now and not allow the PDP to crumble. Elders of the party should tell those funny characters (fomenting trouble) to calm down.”
He then dropped the bombshell: “Unless we are united, with equity, fairness and justice being the pedestal for any political decision taken, this party will be heading to disaster in 2027.”
George’s lucid warnings paint a grim picture of the future of the members of the PDP, who are still caught between a rock and a hard place. And they have their “great” party, which promises power to the people, to thank for the fine mess it has gotten them into.
On his part, a former PDP Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, said that the party might collapse before the 2027 general elections if efforts by governors and former governors in the party, led by ex-Senate President Bukola Saraki, to resolve the issues were in vain.
Suswan, who said that a lot of people are waiting to see the ultimate end of the PDP, drew a parallel with the party and a sick patient in a hospital’s Intensive Care Unit who could be rescued if the proper medicine was applied.
He said, “Whether there is light at the end of the tunnel in the efforts made by Senator Saraki will be seen in the next two weeks.
“For now, would I say that PDP is in the hospital? Yes. Is it in the ICU to some extent? Yes, it is. Can it be rescued? Yes, if the proper medicine is applied.”
He then added that comparing the party to a patient in the ICU means that its chances of survival are 50-50.
The PDP’s once-vaunted umbrella, which symbolises protection and safety for Nigerians, is no longer attractive, and pundits predict that those who still want their political ambitions to be run under it will soon realize the folly of their actions.
Many political commentators also agree that the PDP is the architect of its own misfortune.
According to those who shared their thoughts on the crisis rocking the party, the PDP had an insatiable hunger for power and were left corrupted by it. The party also desired absolute power, and that has left it almost absolutely corrupted.
Nigerians will recall that in an inglorious move, the leaders of the PDP perfected plans to preside over the affairs of Nigeria for as long as possible, and one such leader and former national chairman of the PDP, the late Vincent Ogbulafor, said in 2008 that the party would rule Nigeria for 60 years.
But Nigerians had other ideas. The people, as of 2015, had resolved to show the PDP the exit door – Nigerians were fed up with the institutional corruption and untamed insecurity being experienced in the country.
“Most people are talking mainly about what will happen to the PDP in the 2027 general elections. But I am worried about what will happen to it after the elections”
Therefore, a large majority of them spoke with one voice when it was time to elect the country’s leaders. They kicked the PDP out in the general elections.
Some die-hard supporters of the party believe that a former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, is the reason why the party has been falling freely into the abyss.
These perplexed loyalists cannot wrap their heads around why Jonathan easily relinquished power to his successor, Muhammadu Buhari, with just a phone call to the Daura, Katsina State-born politician.
Jonathan has already answered that question though. The former Commander-in-Chief suggested in his reply that he preferred to consolidate Nigeria’s democracy rather than consolidating PDP’s hold on power,
The Otuoke, Bayelsa State-born statesman also said he wanted Nigeria to move from a country that depended on election-related litigations to settle disputes to one that gets closure to election matters through politicians’ selflessness.
His ambition was to get Nigeria to a stage where those who lost elections would be able to congratulate those who won.
“I always say that I reformed the democratic process as President in order to consolidate democracy in Nigeria and the sub-region.
“I conceded defeat without a fight because I wanted to set a standard for our democracy, going forward.
“My aim then was to change the narrative and prove that election related litigations should no longer define Nigeria’s democracy. People must not always go to court and obtain judgments before elections in Nigeria are declared complete.
“We don’t get to hear about such court cases in mature democracies. I wanted us to get to that point in our democratic experience.
“I thought that it wouldn’t be out of place if we got to that stage where those who lost elections will be able to congratulate those who won,” he explained.
Jonathan’s decisions, although good for the country, left the PDP bare and its flank exposed.
The PDP switched from the ruling to the main opposition party and since then, the centre cannot hold.
The PDP had the opportunity to regroup in the 2023 general elections, but instead of doing so, the members of the party grew further apart.
And contrary to widely held belief among Nigerians that defections from the party started just recently, the seed of defection had actually sprouted in the party following the electoral debacle in 2023.
The exodus had always featured prominently before now, only that it was mainly “small fries” in the PDP that were jumping ship then.
Men of timber and caliber are now leaving the PDP at a never-before-seen rate: Governors, Senators, House of Representatives members, Local Government chairmen, Special Advisers to Governors and many others have cut ties with the party, and more politicians will follow suit.
2027 will, therefore, be a make-or-mar election for the PDP. This is because one wrong move by the party could see the opposition, as Nigerians know it, finally uprooted from Nigeria.
A political analyst, Solomon Usanga, told The Point, “Most people are talking mainly about what will happen to the PDP in the 2027 general elections. But I am worried about what will happen to it after the elections.
“If they don’t win the elections convincingly, they will sink and never recover or stay afloat again.
“Sadly, the fear of one-party state would then become our reality in this country. And what is more, the other political parties are not yet ready to carry the cross of opposition duties.
“Nigerians know that the Social Democratic Party, New Nigeria People’s Party and Labour Party combined can’t fill the shoes that would be left behind by the PDP.”