By Seyifunmi Azeez
Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has declared that the PDP has regained its footing and is well positioned to present a formidable candidate for the 2027 presidential elections.
This is as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) sought to project renewed strength ahead of the 2027 elections as a faction aligned with Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike held its national convention in Abuja, amid lingering internal divisions.
“We now have a party that can present a candidate in the 2027 election, a party where people can no longer blackmail our aspirants or make fun of them,” Saraki said.
The convention follows months of turmoil after a rival faction, backed by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, held a parallel convention in Ibadan in November 2025. That event produced a separate National Working Committee, deepening the party’s leadership crisis. The dispute has since moved to the courts, creating uncertainty over the party’s legal structure and future direction.
In Abuja, however, speakers repeatedly emphasized the PDP’s historical dominance and enduring political relevance.
Former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido argued that the party remains the foundation of Nigeria’s modern political landscape.
“PDP is in every village, in every home. The other parties who are now talking most of them were created by the PDP,” Lamido said.
“If you look at the APC, if you take away Tinubu, all of them were in the PDP. Key players in the ADC were also in the PDP,” he added, suggesting that both the ruling party and emerging opposition forces draw heavily from the PDP’s legacy.
Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose struck a more provocative note, openly defending support for President Bola Tinubu despite his own PDP membership.
“Supporting Tinubu as a PDP member is not anti-party. We must not say it is our party member who must win when we know our party member has no capacity. Would you compare a Makinde to an Asiwaju?,”Fayose said.
Meanwhile, Nyesom Wike, a central figure in the party’s power struggle, issued a stern warning to dissenting members.
“All of you who took our mandate, we will take it back,” he said, in what appeared to be a direct message to PDP governors and leaders aligned with rival factions.
He declared that the morning of the party’s rebirth has arrived, effectively silencing cynics who had proclaimed the organization dead.
Fayose further reinforced Wike’s influence, declaring: “Nyesom Wike is the national leader of our party.”
While organizers view the Abuja convention as an attempt to restore order and reposition the PDP as a viable challenger to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the absence of key stakeholders from the Makinde-led bloc highlights continued fragmentation.
The PDP, which governed Nigeria from 1999 to 2015, has struggled to maintain unity, with internal disputes repeatedly weakening its position as the primary opposition.
Saraki’s declaration at the convention aims to address these concerns, signaling that the party is working to overcome its hurdles.
However, analysts warn that the success of these efforts depends on whether the party can reconcile its warring factions. Without a unified front, the parallel structures in Abuja and Ibadan risk further damaging the party’s chances in 2027.