Defections: Party With Highest Number Of Governors May Not Win In 2027 – PDP Chairman

The Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Damagum, has said that the party with the highest number of state governors may not necessarily win the 2027 presidential election.

Damagum was reacting to the gale of defections that has hit the PDP in recent times.

Recall that the incumbent Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori and his immediate predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday.

Oborevwori and Okowa moved to the APC with the entire PDP structure in the state, inuding elected representatives in the state assembly and local government councils.

Recall that Okowa was the vice presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 election, with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the party’s flag bearer.

The party chair, who presented a Certificate of Return to the PDP candidate in the upcoming Anambra State governorship election, Chief Ezenwafor Jude, maintained that it’s the Nigerian people that will determine the outcome of the election and not the governors.

Damagum made the remarks on Thursday in Abuja during the presentation of a certificate of return to the PDP candidate in the upcoming Anambra State governorship election, Chief Ezenwafor Jude.

The party chair described the defections as “very sad and unfortunate”, stressing that the PDP had always supported the defectors as leaders of the party in Delta State.

“If there is any state that should not have taken this path, it’s Delta. We gave them everything – support for the governor, and even the former governor, who was our vice presidential candidate in 2023. We least expected this action from them, ” Damagum said.

The PDP chairman said the defections did not catch the party unawares, adding that the party will reclaim its structures with a caretaker committee to be set up in the days ahead.

He insisted that the PDP remained resilient and battle-ready ahead of 2027, despite the setback.

“This is a party that has seen worse than this and is still standing. Let me remind us all – Peter Obi had no governor behind him in 2023, but he still garnered millions of votes.

“The 2027 election is not about how many governors or so-called leaders a party has. It’s about President Tinubu and the condition of Nigerians. This election will be APC versus Nigerians.”

According to him, while defections may have been secured through coercion or persuasion, ordinary Nigerians who are at the receiving end of the APC administration’s harsh economic policies would ultimately decide the outcome.

“Policies are not made for governors or senators. They are made for the people – and today, the people are suffering. This hardship is not a coincidence; it’s a design. Nigerians will rise to rescue themselves,” the chairman said.

Damagum expressed confidence in the party’s candidate in the Anambra election.

He hailed Ezenwafor Jude’s emergence as prove of internal party democracy in the PDP and urged stakeholders to unite for victory.

“If God wants to help you, He removes all the thorns. I believe we have one united party in Anambra today. Your commitment, belief, and sincerity will see us through this election,” he said.

The party chair assured the candidate of the full backing of the PDP national leadership, saying that the party is committed to rebuilding and repositioning itself for national relevance.

Respondind, the candidate, Ezenwafor Jude expressed confidence that the Anambra State governorship election would deliver a surprise outcome.

Ezenwafor said he was fully prepared to win the election and bring a strong sense of purpose to governance.

“By the time I become governor, my leadership style and performance will speak for themselves. Other governors will see what I am doing and seek me out for consultations,” he said.