• Leadership crisis can be resolved in days, Olawepo-Hashim tells Turaki
• Party plans litigation over exclusion of Ekiti governorship candidate
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, yesterday, suffered a significant blow as human rights lawyer, Niyi Aborisade, alongside top leaders and supporters from all 33 local councils, formally defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The development is seen as a major setback for the PDP and a boost for ADC as political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections begin to take shape.
Amid the protracted crisis rocking the former ruling party, former presidential candidate and chieftain of PDP, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, said the leadership crisis could be resolved within one week if the leaders embraced political solutions instead of prolonged legal battles.
In Ekiti State, the party is planning to approach the court to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to include its candidate in the list of contestants for the 2026 governorship election.
Aborisade, a prominent figure in Oyo politics, attributed the defection to unresolved internal crises within the PDP, describing the party as increasingly incapable of presenting a credible candidate for the coming elections.
Speaking at an official gathering in Ibadan, he said persistent factional disputes, lack of internal democracy and the refusal of key actors to listen to reason weakened the party’s structure and credibility.
“I have laboured for PDP, spent personal resources and worked tirelessly for the party, yet internal conflicts remain unresolved. Democracy itself is under threat. ADC offers a platform where everyone can contest freely, and internal elections will be conducted fairly. This is not about me alone; it is about providing a platform where all aspirants can exercise their fundamental rights,” Aborisade said.
Criticising the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), he pointed to rising hunger, fuel scarcity, and unprecedented increases in food costs as evidence of the party’s failure to meet Nigerians’ expectations.
“APC has lost public confidence. Nigerians are looking towards ADC as a credible alternative capable of delivering positive change,” Aborisade said. Welcoming Aborisade and his supporters, Oyo Chairman of ADC, Yinka Olona, described the defections as part of a broader trend of political realignments across the country.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Aborisade into ADC. He is not the first, and he will not be the last,” Olona said. “ADC is the viable opposition that can provide Nigerians with a credible alternative to the current political establishment.”
OLAWEPO-HASHIM expressed his optimism during a consultative meeting with the PDP National Chairman, Tanimu Turaki (SAN), as part of ongoing efforts to achieve an out-of-court resolution of the party’s internal dispute.
The former presidential hopeful, who was also among the conveners of the PDP in 1998 and its first elected Deputy National Publicity Secretary, argued that a political settlement would better serve the party’s survival and strengthen Nigeria’s multi-party democracy.
According to him, the PDP already has sufficient constitutional instruments to resolve the impasse without recourse to litigation.
He cited Sections 3(1) and 3(4) of the PDP Constitution, which empower two-thirds of NEC members to convene a meeting, noting that the majority of NEC members were elected before the disputed Ibadan convention and therefore retain unquestionable legitimacy.
He explained that while the tenure of some members of the National Working Committee (NWC) expired on December 8, the pre-Ibadan NEC members remain constitutionally empowered to intervene and take corrective steps in the party’s overriding interest.
Responding, Turaki thanked him for the visit and his commitment to the party’s unity, assuring that the leadership under his watch remains open to reconciliation. He, however, stressed that any effort to resolve the crisis must not compromise the unity, stability, and continued existence of the PDP.
The meeting, held at Turaki’s Asokoro residence in Abuja, was also attended by the party’s Deputy National Chairman and National Youth Leader.
MEANWHILE, in a statement, yesterday, by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the party accused INEC of bias, describing the exclusion of its candidate, Dr Oluwole Oluyede, as unjustified and contrary to established electoral procedures.
The PDP stated that INEC was duly notified of and monitored the party’s governorship primaries in Ekiti, adding that the commission subsequently issued reports confirming that the exercise complied with relevant laws and guidelines.
According to the party, INEC also released nomination portal codes to enable the submission of candidates’ details before allegedly blocking access to the portal a few days to the deadline, forcing the party to submit the nomination documents manually at INEC’s office, a submission it said was acknowledged by the commission.
The party argued that there was no competing claim to the PDP ticket in Ekiti and no court order restraining INEC from recognizing Oluyede as its governorship candidate.
