PDP Governors Call Emergency Meeting in Abuja Amid Mass Defections and Party Crisis

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors have summoned an emergency meeting in Abuja today to address the escalating defections and internal conflicts threatening the party’s cohesion.

The meeting includes former governors, members of the Board of Trustees, and former National Assembly presiding officers, focusing on the upcoming National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting and the National Elective Convention.

An insider disclosed that the meeting is expected to be intense, as it aims to prepare party leaders for critical decisions. Since the 2023 elections, the PDP has been embroiled in crises, including the rivalry between Governor Sim Fubara and Nyesom Wike, unresolved zonal leadership disputes, and the vacant National Secretary position since December 2024.

Efforts by the party’s leadership structures to mediate have deepened divisions, leading to defections such as Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa joining the ruling APC in April. Additionally, three PDP senators from Kebbi State have defected following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu, who opposition parties accuse of seeking to establish a one-party state.

Emmanuel Agbo, Director General of the PDP Governors Forum, confirmed the meeting’s purpose: “The governors want to meet with the ex-governors that are still in the party to deliberate on party issues… to get their support for the implementation of all decisions taken during the last PDP Governors’ meeting in Ibadan.”

PDP National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba said, “The Nigerian people will once again be proud to associate with the PDP… all these meetings and processes are geared towards building a formidable PDP capable of unseating Tinubu in 2027.”

Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum criticized recent defectors, stating, “Those who are defecting have no conscience… what pursued them out of the PDP will again take them out of the APC.”

The NEC meeting set for May 27 is anticipated to be pivotal in resolving the party’s internal challenges and charting a path forward.