The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has announced plans to sanction governors and elected public officials within its fold who are supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
Central to the impending crackdown is Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, and former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Following its first National Working Committee (NWC) meeting in Abuja yesterday, the PDP instructed its Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, to initiate legal proceedings against Okowa, Oborevwori, and the PDP structure in Delta State for alleged defection to the APC.
Speaking at a press briefing after the meeting, Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, confirmed that the party had adopted all recommendations from its recent governors’ forum meeting in Ibadan and announced May 27 as the date for the next National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.
On the defection trend, Damagum said: “They (the APC) can coerce, cajole, and intimidate our members into joining them. But they can only do that because they feel they have what it takes. Nigerians, when the time comes, will show them the results of their actions, and they will receive the verdict from Nigerians. It has happened before, and it will happen again.”
He added, “The parameters that will make Nigerians revolt against them are all in place. This government has been so insensitive to the yearnings and feelings of the people.”
“We are Nigerians; taxpaying, law-abiding citizens. We have rights. And when the time comes, Nigerians will show them that they have rights. 2027 is between Nigerians and Tinubu and the APC. So, I want to urge our supporters to remain calm,” Damagum said.
The PDP also directed its South-South zonal caretaker committee led by Emma Ogidi to immediately assume control of party activities in Delta State, pending the formation of a new caretaker committee.
The committee has been mandated to take inventory of party assets and disregard the current leadership under Chief Dan Orbih.
Damagum insisted: “As far as the Electoral Act states, whenever you leave, you must vacate the position you occupied. We will pursue this. I also want to warn party members to remain faithful to the party.”
In a media appearance on Arise News, former Delta Governor Okowa offered insight into his defection, saying, “the PDP is not ready for the 2027 general elections.”
He also claimed that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is preparing to leave the PDP.
“I know that he is already heading out of the PDP from the communications he has passed on to me, and Nigerians already know this,” Okowa said.
Reflecting on the 2023 presidential election, Okowa expressed regret over accepting the role of Atiku’s running mate instead of aligning with southern sentiments.
“Even when we were campaigning, I realised our people were not interested in having another northerner come into power,” he said.
“But the decision had already been taken at the federal level by the party, and I had been nominated. Still, in retrospect, I now believe I should have gone with the will of my people.”
Justifying the election of Oborevwori as Delta governor, Okowa said it proved the people’s confidence in their leadership.
On whether he communicated with Atiku prior to his defection, he said “I actually did communicate with him that we were going to have stakeholders’ meetings this week (last week)… and that it was going to be a leadership meeting.”
“The outcome of that meeting was going to determine our next path because we were no longer comfortable with the PDP.”
Okowa also took a swipe at former Senate President Bukola Saraki: “I did not expect someone like Saraki to speak concerning me because he has also moved to the APC before and returned, so I don’t think he has the moral right to speak about my defection.”
Explaining the broader context, Okowa said: “As stakeholders and leaders in the state, we have sat down to look at events in the last several months. Considering these events and the communication coming out from the leaders of the party, it does not appear to us at the moment that the PDP is the proper political vehicle for us to continue in.”
He continued: “It also does not appear to us that the PDP is ready to be competitive in the 2027 elections. If a party, as currently led, decides to go it alone and is not ready for alliances or coalitions with other parties, how do they intend to compete?”
“Having critically examined the situation… we decided it was time to take this step,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, the PDP’s internal crisis deepened as the Good Governance Group within the party blamed Atiku’s unyielding presidential ambition for sowing division. The group also condemned comments by Atiku’s son, Mohammed, targeting Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed for alleged disloyalty during past elections.
In a statement signed by its Director of Media, Chidubem Ikenna, the group said: “If your father had spent half as much time building real bridges as he does tearing down perceived opponents, perhaps he wouldn’t need you out here insulting those who once stood by him.”
They defended Governor Bala, saying, “The same Governor Bala Mohammed you now criticise openly stood with Atiku in 2019 and never asked for payback—only for mutual respect and fairness.”
The group added, “It is time for you and those in your father’s camp to understand that no one, no matter how wealthy, experienced, or connected, is bigger than the party. The PDP is not a family business. It is not a retirement plan. And it is certainly not a vehicle to launder personal legacies at the expense of collective progress.”
They described Atiku’s leadership as one marked by arrogance, lack of consensus-building, and an inability to inspire voters.
“The defeat was the result of Nigerians seeing through his approach—a man unwilling to adapt, unable to inspire, and incapable of winning without turning every ambition into a warpath,” the statement read.
In a separate development, the Oyo State chapter of the APC reiterated its support for President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, citing his administration’s early achievements and commitment to national development.
At a stakeholders’ meeting in Ibadan, APC State Chairman Alhaji Olayide Abas praised Tinubu’s governance style: “Those of us familiar with Mr President’s antecedents are not surprised by the courage, determination, and patriotism he has demonstrated in governance.”
He added: “It is on this note that the stakeholders of the party, during the extended executive committee meeting, announced our readiness to support President Tinubu beyond 2027.”
The party noted a growing number of defections from the opposition as proof of rising confidence in Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Peace Advocates, a group within the Oyo APC led by Dr. Akin Onigbinde (SAN), Chief Wale Ohu, and Prince Niran Olayoju, also pledged to promote unity within the party by touring the state to encourage reconciliation and cohesion.
