The protracted leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is threatening the 2027 re-election bid of the party’s eight first term governors.
The affected governors are Agbu Kefas (Taraba), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Ime Eno (Akwa Ibom) and Simin alayi Fubara (Rivers). Others are Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Ademola Adeleke (Osun) and Dauda Lawal (Zamfara).
Investigation by THE WHISTLER revealed that other political parties, especially the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are capitalising on the festering crisis in the PDP to make overtures to some of the governors.
While the overtures to some of the governors are being made clandestinely, the APC leadership in Plateau State has gone public in pressuring Governor Mutfwang to defect to the ruling party.
The leadership of the Plateau APC, had a few days ago, written to some national leaders of the party informing them of their ongoing plans to woo Governor Mutfwang to the ruling party.
The Whistler further gathered that the governors are being baited with the return tickets of the APC in many of the states.
The Plateau APC leaders had openly canvassed an automatic waiver for Mutfwang regarding the party’s 2027 governorship ticket should he yield to the pressure.
Similarly, some concerned PDP stakeholders are said to be uncomfortable with the growing rapport between Governor Mbah of Enugu State and President Bola Tinubu.
Sources said the PDP governors are being persuaded to dump their party, on the ground that the seemingly intractable leadership crisis in PDP might stand in the way of their re-election in 2027.
It’s further learnt that while some of the governors are said to be undecided, a few of them are reoorted to be reconsidering their continued stay in the party amid the festering crisis.
Apparently worried by the prospects of losing some of their first term governors to the internecine crisis, the PDP Governors Forum has moved to prevent the looming exodus.
Consequently, the Forum, chaired by the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed has scheduled an emergency meeting for Asaba, the Delta State capital on Friday, January 31.
Alhough the agenda for the meeting was not made public, party sources on Friday, confided in The Whistler that the Forum is apprehensive over threats of losing some of the party’s first term governors to the APC.
Older members of the PDP Governors Forum and concerned party leaders are said to be particularly worried that the division in the party at the national level could provide enough constitutional ground for key members to defect.
At the centre of the PDP crisis is the Acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum, whose sit-tight mentality is tearing the party at the seams.
Damagum, who is from Yobe State in the Northeast zone, was appointed to replace the erstwhile national chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu in March 2023, pending the election of a substantive chairman from the North Central zone.
But attempts by critical organs of the PDP and other stakeholders to ease Damagum out of the seat are being thwarted by the acting chairman and his influential backers.
There is also an ongoing fierce battle for the position of the party’s National Secretary, which degenerated into fisticuffs during the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting at the PDP national secretariat on Wednesday.
Two members of the National Working Committee (NWC) – Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Sunday Ude-Okoye are laying claim to the seat of the National Secretary.
The hydra headed leadership crises have continued to weaken the PDP structure at the national level without any solution in sight.
Moves to convene the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting to resolve the contentious issues are being frustrated by the various vested interests within the party.
