• Not willing to go with Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai

• Prefer to join APC instead

By Oluseye Ojo

Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) are shunning the coalition platform formed by members of the opposition parties to dislodge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from power in 2027.

Checks revealed that no governor or notable member of the National Assembly has publicly identified with the coalition group, days after its promoters unveiled the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as the political party to slug it out with APC in 2027.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi; former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai; former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi; Senator Dino Melaye; a former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung; publisher and PDP chieftain, Dele Momodu; Senators Gabriel Suswam and Ireti Kingibe of the Labour Party; and a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha are some of the prominent members of the coalition.

Former Senate President, David Mark was named the Interim Chairman of the party, while former Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, was named Interim National Secretary. Also in attendance at the unveiling was a former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.

However, no notable elected politician, besides Ireti Kingibe of the Labour Party, has identified with the new party.  The PDP currently has eight governors in Nigeria. They are: Bala Mohammed (Bauchi State), Douye Diri (Bayelsa State), Peter Mbah (Enugu State), Ademola Adeleke (Osun State), Ahmadu Umaru Fintri (Adamawa); Dauda Lawal (Zamfara); Agbu Kefas (Taraba) and Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers State). Governor Bala Mohammed also serves as the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum. The Labour Party has one governor, Alex Otti of Abia. But at a recent meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State—which was attended by the party’s acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, and other party leaders—the PDP governors distanced themselves from any coalition or merger talks. The forum expressed openness to welcoming any party, person or group willing to join the PDP in the effort to wrest power and enthrone good leadership in 2027.

“Noting the nationwide speculations about a possible merger of parties, groups and/or associations, the forum resolved that it will not join any coalition or merger. However, the PDP as a major opposition party welcomes any party, persons or groups that are willing to join with a view to wrestling power and enthroning good leadership in 2027,” the forum stated in a communiqué signed and read by its chairman and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed

Last week, at an interactive session with members of the Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE) in Enugu, the state governor, Peter Mbah reiterated that he remains a PDP member. “I am still in the PDP, as you can see, the flag behind me is that of the PDP,” Governor Mbah said.

Acknowledging the challenges facing PDP, he noted that it was not peculiar to the party as other political parties in the country are also facing challenges. Gov Lawal of Zamfara also said he would remain in PDP.  While fielding questions in a live media chat with senior journalists in Gusau, Gov Lawal said he did not need to join another party to win in 2027, as he won the governorship election in 2023 on the platform of the PDP when all political bigwigs in the state were in the APC.

He said that political party crisis was not peculiar to the PDP as others are experiencing one form or another. It was gathered that Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, is not planning to join Obi in the coalition.  Sources revealed that Otti would remain in the Labour Party (LP).

The Abia State governor stated this much at a dinner in Umuahia on Tuesday to mark the start of the 2025 mid-year retreat for government appointees, when he reaffirmed his commitment to the Labour Party. He insisted that he had not attended any coalition meeting, but remains focused on delivering his mandate to Abians. Otti said: “I’m still a member of the Labour Party and I’m not looking for where to decamp to.

“The second point is about the coalition, and a lot of people have been asking me, are you a member of the coalition? And my response is, have you seen my name? Have you seen me attending the coalition meeting? We are just busy doing the work that Abia people have given us. So, we are not attending any coalition meeting, I have not attended any one, and nobody has invited me.”

It was gathered that some of the PDP governors and elected lawmakers as well as lawmaker from LP are already not planning to be part of the coalition, which they believe is being put together mainly by Atiku Abubakar and his cronies to install him as president in 2027.

Sources revealed that these governors and lawmakers would rather join APC if defection becomes inevitable.