• As opposition party’s NEC meets today
From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Founding fathers of the Peoples democratic Party (PDP) have said ceding the 2027 presidential ticket to the South will ensure that the party wins the presidential poll as well as promote justice and equity.
Former Minister of Information, Professor Jerry Gana, who spoke on behalf of the PDP founding fathers at a conference of PDP founding fathers and stakeholders, with the theme: “Reclaiming our legacy, renewing our collective vision” in Abuja, yesterday, also urged the PDP NEC to agree to the holding of the national convention where new National Working Committee (NWC) members would be elected at today’s meeting, saying the nomination of the opposition party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 polls must be credible.
He said: “PDP is set to receive a briefing from its Zoning and National Convention Planning Committees at its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled to hold today at the Wadata Plaza, Abuja.
“The NEC, apart from receiving briefs from its zoning and convention panels, is expected to ratify state and zonal congresses conducted recently.”
According to the former minister, “in tune with this patriotic wisdom of the founding fathers, we urge all our leaders to support the strategy of bringing out our presidential candidate for 2027 from the southern states. Such a strategy will not only ensure victory at the polls, but will promote justice, fairness and equity.
“We appeal to all our leaders to agree at the NEC meeting to convene the National Convention of our great party so that we can elect a fresh set of party officers for the next four years.
“From our renewed foundation, we should conduct a fair process to produce our presidential candidate for the 2027 presidential elections. We should present to Nigerians, not just a candidate, but a visionary leader – a tested and trusted patriot, a proven solution-provider with a huge capacity and character to rescue Nigeria.
“We must also ensure a transparent and credible national convention that will set a gold standard for internal party democracy.
“The convention must be transparent, accountable and reflective of our democratic ideals. No more back room deals or impositions. Delegates should freely elect a new National Working Committee men and women of proven integrity, competence and unwavering loyalty to the ideals of PDP.
“We reaffirm our commitment to youth inclusion and generational equity, which is very crucial. The PDP must deliberately open the space for younger Nigerians; brilliant, energetic and innovative minds should be allowed to participate actively as leaders within our party structures and as candidates at all levels in the 2027 general elections.
“Their ideas, energy and digital fluency are essential for building the Nigeria we all deserve. Our 2027 electoral strategy must elevate young leaders with fresh ideas and proven commitment.
“We should deliberately mainstream youth and women into our party’s core leadership structure, ensuring that their voices are heard and their contributions are highly valued.”
Meanwhile, Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, has said the party was willing to welcome back its members who defected to other political platforms recently. He said they should remember that it is the PDP that gave them political relevance.
“Since our historic founding in August 1998, the PDP’s journey has been marked by triumphs and trials. Like any living institution, we have faced internal rifts, betrayals and moments of national disappointment.
“In 2013, we witnessed one of such fractures that shook us to our very core. A group of party leaders walked away from our party seeking new alliances. Today, we witness yet another. But history reminds us that splinters may form but they do not define the tree. Movements built on political expediency collapse when confronted by lasting values.
“As a party, we do not respond to these challenges with bitterness, though they are often unpleasant. Instead, we rest in the assurance that the Peoples Democratic Party remains the only political platform in Nigeria whose foundation was built on national consensus, democratic inclusion and a clear vision for Nigeria’s future; to return power to the people!
“We are not easily shaken because our roots run deep. The PDP offers more than a political structure; it embodies ideological clarity, resilience of spirit, and the staying power to withstand and overcome turbulent winds.
“But we must also confront the hard truth, much of the injury the PDP has suffered has been self-inflicted. From the Obasanjo era to this moment, we have too often jettisoned ideology in favour of personal ambition. This has cost us dearly.
“Yet, there is still a beauty that exists only in the PDP; our founding vision, our commitment to internal democracy, our enduring mechanisms for dialogue and reconciliation, and our true national outlook.
“These are not ordinary attributes. They are the very pillars that made and have sustained the PDP as the bedrock of Nigeria’s democratic journey, and they remain our guiding strength today.
“However, let it be said and known that our doors remain open to those who wish to return, and it is my earnest prayers that in their return, they may rediscover themselves. After all, we are still the party that gave many their first political home.”
However, former Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, disagreed with Damagun, noting that the party should not invite “nomadic politicians” back into its fold.
“Both the chairman and the chairman of Governors Forum have been very diplomatic and saying, come back, come back. No, you don’t invite nomadic politicians back to your place. These were people with a history of nomadism.
“If you recall, our major problem started probably in 2013/2014. When in nomadic life, your own selfish interest becomes more important than the interest of the people. So, we need to understand that the lack of discipline has created this problem.
“We cannot keep on, knowing that the black sheep in the family keeps on destroying whatever we are building. And then you say come back. In fact, the most shocking time, the most shocking period was 2019. I am happy that my chairman, Bukola Saraki, has found the light for not going, like he did the last time.
Aliyu lambasted the opposition party for always welcoming back defecting members and giving them a pride of place over loyal members, who have remained steadfast with the PDP. “When we went to Port Harcourt,( 2018 presidential primary), No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, out of the 12 candidates, were nomadic politicians. Our constitution is specific. You leave the party; you join the queue. The party is not just to win elections. The party is also to ensure the culture of selling real, principled politics.
“So, even if we don’t win elections, but we are one united, principled party, we will be recognised. Please, let us pay attention to what we should be doing rather than looking at those people who will never, never, ever think of you, but only think of themselves.
“We must create a party that recognizes merit, a party that recognizes the people who can do, a party that can unite the whole of the country. Not just individuals to make money. No Please.”
Prior to the 2015 general election, some leaders of the PDP including former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, former Senate president, Bukola Saraki, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, former Rivers State governor, Chibuike Amaechi, dumped the opposition for the All Progressives Congress (APC). Atiku, Saraki, Tambuwal later returned to the PDP. Atiku, again, last week resigned from the PDP and joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which had earlier been unveiled by a coalition of opposition politicians as their preferred platform for the 2027 polls. Former Senate president, Senator David Mark, who has been named the interim national chairman has also resigned his membership of the PDP.
Similarly, Governors Sheriff Oborevberi and Umo Eno of Delta and Akwa Ibom states, respectively, alongside top politicians in their states, including PDP 2023 vice presidential candidate, Ifeanyi Okowa, have defected to the APC.
