A Nigerian scholar and columnist, Farooq A. Kperogi, has argued that the Peoples Democratic Party has effectively collapsed following a fresh wave of defections from its ranks.
Writing in his latest column in the Nigerian Tribune, Kperogi described the current state of the party as its “political obituary,” citing the departure of several lawmakers in the National Assembly and the dwindling number of governors remaining under its platform.
According to him, the recent defections included prominent figures such as former Sokoto State governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who reportedly left the PDP for the African Democratic Congress, alongside other legislators who joined either the ADC or the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Kperogi noted that although a few lawmakers still remain in the party, its influence has significantly diminished, leaving it with only two governors, those of Bauchi and Oyo states, who are both approaching the end of their terms.
He recalled that the PDP once dominated Nigeria’s political landscape, governing the country for 16 consecutive years and controlling as many as 31 of the nation’s 36 states at the height of its power.
The columnist also referenced a 2008 statement by former PDP national chairman Vincent Ogbulafor, who had predicted that the party would rule Nigeria for 60 years.
However, Kperogi argued that the party’s fortunes began to decline after it lost the presidency in 2015 to the APC, led at the time by Muhammadu Buhari.
He said the loss of federal power weakened the coalition that had sustained the party, prompting a wave of defections by politicians seeking proximity to the new ruling party.
Kperogi further blamed the PDP’s internal conflicts and leadership struggles for deepening its crisis, pointing to divisions during the 2023 election cycle and the rebellion of the so-called G-5 governors led by figures such as Nyesom Wike.
According to him, the prolonged internal disputes, court battles, and factional rivalries have eroded the party’s credibility as a viable opposition platform.
He concluded that the PDP’s decline reflects a broader reality of Nigerian politics, where parties built primarily around access to federal power often struggle to survive once that power is lost.