*Worst Of Defections Yet To Come
CHAIRMAN of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Reconciliation Committee and former senate president, Dr. Bukola Saraki, said the party must first resolve the lingering controversy surrounding its national secretary before it can convene a proper National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting or hold a successful national convention.
Speaking on a television programme, Saraki said the unresolved rift over who occupies the office of national secretary had remained a major stumbling block to its internal cohesion, adding that until the issue was addressed, critical meetings like NEC, which determine the party’s direction and electoral strategy, would not be properly convened.
According to him: “This is a problem that has existed. Before we can have a smooth convention, we must first hold a NEC meeting, and before that, we need to agree on who our national secretary is. The issue has lingered for ages and didn’t start today, but now, we must face it head-on.”
He lamented that despite the Supreme Court’s ruling on March 21, 2025, affirming Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the authentic National Secretary, the crisis has persisted due to entrenched positions among some party members.
He recalled that a recent meeting between the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) also helped clarify the matter, saying: “Nine out of 10 of us at that meeting accepted INEC’s position that as far as it is concerned, the national secretary of the party remains Samuel Anyanwu.”
The former governor of Kwara State dismissed suggestions that the confusion was politically motivated.
He insisted that the party must now prioritise unity over factional interests, adding: “The world is watching. We have said there is no personal interest here. We are guided only by what is acceptable under the law.”
Saraki stated that even as the party strives to resolve its internal crisis and efforts continue to reposition the party ahead of the 2027 general elections, more defections could not be ruled out, noting: “PDP would likely see one or two more defections, and we should prepare ourselves for that; there is a possibility.
“We haven’t seen the worst of the defections for PDP. We would probably see maybe one or two governors who will defect, and we might see some senators who will defect.”
He, however, described the timing of the crisis as an advantage, as it gives the PDP time to recover and rebuild before the election cycle begins in full swing.
“For some of us, this happening early in PDP is an advantage. We are lucky that this is not happening, let’s say, late 2026; we would not even have had time to recover and regroup. We have just under two years to the election, and we are lucky to have that.
“I think, with a lot of commitment and understanding, it is not a lost cause. A party with over 26 years of history that has been around, the largest party, we will definitely have low times like this.”
He was optimistic that despite the turbulence at the national level, PDP remains strong at the grassroots and across the state, noting: “When you go round the country, the state chapters, the local government chapters, the party is still very strong in the grassroots. In some areas in the country, they are not even aware of what is happening at our level, in Abuja.
“The reactions we are seeing at the grassroots give us a lot of encouragement. But what we need to do is to get to the bottom and start to build.”
Saraki disclosed that the party was already laying the groundwork for the 2027 elections, warning that the stakes go beyond just party survival.
He stated: “This is not just about resolving today’s issues; it’s about building for the future. The next convention must not be business as usual. We must bring in new, younger faces who represent the future of this party.
“If PDP fails, Nigeria edges closer to a one-party state. And that would be a disaster for democracy.”
