The chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Abayomi Tella, has said the party is ready to match the tactics of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections.
Naia News reports that Tella, in an interview with Punch, accused the APC of deploying violence, voter intimidation, and other coercive tactics to secure victories in the 2023 elections and the recently held Remo Federal Constituency by-election.
Tella vowed that PDP will resist any attempt by the APC to intimidate voters in the 2027 elections, insisting that the era of bullying opposition parties and manipulating the electoral process is over.
He said, “The days when the APC could intimidate opposition parties during elections are over. Whatever they bring in 2027, we are ready to match it because we now have the people solidly behind us. Their shenanigans are over, and the 2027 election is going to be between APC and Nigerians, not even against PDP or any other party.
“There is no monopoly of violence, but as democrats, we will ignore violence because we believe the people are behind us, and they will vote for us. In 2027, PDP is coming stronger to counter APC’s violent methods.”
Speaking on the defection of PDP members to the APC, Tella argued that many defectors have become mere spectators in their new party.
According to him, defection is no longer attractive for politicians, noting that defectors struggle to find relevance because they were not part of the APC’s foundation or internal structure.
He stated, “It is no longer enviable for a politician to cross from PDP to APC because most of our members who have gone there have become onlookers. When the members of the party were working for their victory, the defectors were not there, so they are still treated as outsiders.”
Speaking further, Tella described PDP as a political organisation with deep roots, insisting that efforts to weaken it have consistently failed because the party remains resilient despite the challenges it has faced over the years.
He added that the party leadership is taking deliberate steps to strengthen internal unity and keep members aligned, noting that the PDP is focused on consolidating its base and preparing for a stronger showing in the upcoming political cycle.
He added, “As far as I’m concerned, PDP is here to stay. The party can never die. If you try to kill it today, it will resurrect tomorrow. We are making frantic efforts to keep our people together.”