• N’East set to rebuild PDP’s walls following Atiku’s exit
• Oki warns APC of decreased electoral viability

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, describing him as a “bad market” and warning that no patriotic Nigerian would support him in the 2027 presidential election.

PDP announced that it would hold its 101st National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting from Wednesday, July 23, to Friday, July 25, 2025, as part of ongoing efforts to reposition the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

This was as leaders of the party in North East geopolitical zone expressed delight with the eventual defection of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar from the party to the coalition platform, African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying the development allowed them to undo the damage done to the party by one man’s vaulting ambition.

Meanwhile, All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Fuad Oki, warned about the party’s prospects in the 2027 general elections, citing a catastrophic decline in voter participation in the July 12 Lagos State local council elections.

At a briefing in Abuja yesterday, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, stated that the meeting would focus on key party matters, internal reforms and strategic planning to consolidate its national presence and electoral strength.

Speaking on the political climate and performance of APC, Ologunagba said: “PDP is the only party with the structure, national spread and credibility to unseat the APC. There is no community in Nigeria where you won’t find PDP members. Nigerians are tired of failed governance and are eager for the return of the PDP.”

He cited widespread dissatisfaction with APC’s handling of the economy, security and governance.

Drawing comparisons, he noted that when the PDP left office in 2015, Nigeria had a $550 billion economy, which, according to him, has now shrunk to $180 billion under APC leadership.

“The question Nigerians should ask is simple: Are we better off today than we were 10 years ago? The answer is obvious,” he said.

On recent defections from the PDP to the APC and newly formed coalitions, including ADC, Ologunagba downplayed the impact, insisting that the core strength of the party remained intact.

North East PDP leaders’ delight came as the conveners of All Democratic Alliance (ADA) revved up the machinery to ensure that the alliance was registered as a full-fledged political party in readiness for the anticipated implosion of ADC.

A source close to the Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, told The Guardian in confidence that the Bauchi governor celebrated Atiku’s exit, stressing that the governor believes that the former VP’s decision to move helped to save him the embarrassment of possible suspension or expulsion.

“You know the governor employed all manner of strategies, including representations and verbal counsel, to cease further aspiration to contest the presidential ticket. Here in Bauchi, His Excellency told the former VP that age was no longer on his side and, as such, he should give way for the younger ones.

“It was obvious to the PDP governors that Atiku and the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, were the two people disturbing the progress of the party. I can tell you that the governors have resolved to take a disciplinary stance against the two to save PDP for final destruction,” he stated.

The source disclosed that a broader consultation among the PDP leaders in the zone was going on, saying that a series of meetings had been held in Abuja and Lagos to see how to build the structures in Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Plateau, and Taraba states into a formidable fortress for PDP.

“If nothing else, Atiku’s resignation has opened up the party for a new breed of politics. It is now that the efforts of Mohammed to repair PDP would be seen. Something will soon happen in other parties that will place PDP in a very advantageous position, particularly in North East and South East geopolitical zones,” he added.

Chairman of PDP in Taraba State, Abubakar Bawa, had described Atiku’s exit from the party as a good omen, saying that the gale of defections across political parties had been exposing selfish politicians. He added that because of Atiku’s resignation, some state governors who wanted to leave PDP rescinded the move.

On voter apathy, according to ‘Preliminary Report on the July 12 Lagos State Local Government Elections: Unprecedented Low Turnout and Dire Implications for 2027’ conducted by Oki, the elections saw an unprecedented low voter turnout, with less than six per cent of the total collected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) being cast.

The report attributed the low turnout to a lack of trust and disillusionment with the party and the electoral process. Oki noted that the party’s failure to foster genuine internal democracy and its neglect of certain demographic blocs, particularly the Arewa community, contributed to the decline in voter participation.

The Arewa community, historically a strong supporter of the APC, has been neglected by the party, according to the report, which warned that the low voter turnout was not an isolated incident, but a profound harbinger of grave consequences for the APC in the 2027 general elections. To reverse this alarming trend, Oki called for a fundamental and immediate overhaul of the party leadership and management structure.