Nobody Can Kill PDP – Turaki Declares

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday declared that it would contest all categories of the 2027 general elections despite the leadership crisis rocking the opposition party.

NOP.NG reports that the party maintained that no individual or political group could force it out of existence, insisting that it had survived deeper internal crises in the past.

The position was taken at a stakeholders’ meeting convened in Abuja by the PDP Interim National Working Committee to review recent developments within the party and agree on political and legal steps following last Friday’s court judgment secured by its Board of Trustees.

Party leaders who spoke at the meeting urged members to remain united and resist what they described as attempts to weaken the PDP ahead of the 2027 polls.

Among those who addressed the gathering were the Interim National Working Committee Chairman, Tanimu Turaki (SAN); former Niger State governor and Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Babangida Aliyu; and Chairman of the PDP State Chairmen’s Forum, Tony Aziegbemi.

Turaki said the party remained determined to field candidates in every election in 2027, from the presidency to state Houses of Assembly.

“Nobody, and I dare say, nobody can kill the PDP. PDP will continue to live… I want to tell you that PDP shall be on the ballot for all rounds of the 2027 elections, from the presidential down to the states houses of assembly election. PDP, this PDP shall be on the ballot,” he declared.

He compared the present crisis to the leadership battle that engulfed the party in 2016, when a caretaker committee led by former Kaduna State governor, Ahmed Makarfi, emerged after a prolonged legal and political dispute.

According to Turaki, the current challenges were less threatening than those experienced at the time.

“People may recall a time in the past when attempts were made to take the leadership of our party. A caretaker committee was set up under the leadership of His Excellency Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi. What we are now witnessing in our party is even a child’s play. By the special grace of God, we shall overcome,” he said.

PDP Reviews Court Judgment

Turaki explained that the stakeholders’ meeting was primarily convened to examine the implications of the recent judgment obtained by the Board of Trustees and determine the party’s next line of action.

He said the interim leadership had not immediately issued an official response because some members of the working committee were away when the judgment was delivered.

The senior advocate also accused those in power of contributing to crises within opposition parties.

“We used to think that more than any other person, people in government should prefer peace to reign than crisis in their domain… while other political parties are having existential threat… nobody can kill the PDP,” Turaki added.

Aliyu, in his remarks, urged members to see the present difficulties as another test of the party’s resilience.

“Many a times, you will never know the strength that you have until you are thoroughly challenged. We have been challenged,” he said.

The former governor recalled his role in nominating Makarfi to head the caretaker committee during the previous leadership crisis and expressed confidence that the party would recover from its present difficulties.

He also criticised politicians who defected from the PDP, describing them as “fugitive, nomadic politicians” driven by personal political interests.

“Those who thought they could kill PDP by running away to another party, they are the ones now who are suffering more than even what we are going through,” he said.

Aliyu urged party members to remain committed, arguing that political success also required integrity and perseverance.

“If you have a clean heart, He knows it, and He will reward you at the end of the day. We will get our party back, and we will succeed in the final analysis,” he added.

‘PDP Must Learn From Mistakes’

Aziegbemi also criticised former members of the party who, despite benefiting from the PDP, were now allegedly working for its collapse.

“I heard somebody telling someone else: ‘I didn’t know PDP was still existing. Make sure that you kill it,’” he said.

He admitted that the party had made mistakes in the past by elevating some individuals who later turned against it, stressing that the PDP must learn from those experiences.

Aziegbemi also condemned what he described as excessive accumulation of wealth by some public office holders amid worsening economic hardship.

“You are accumulating and accumulating and depriving every other person the right to a decent living. You are depriving 60 million Nigerians that go to bed every night hungry,” he said.

He urged members not to lose confidence in the party despite its internal challenges.

“Don’t be scared. Don’t have doubts. We will get there… We will know where the rain beat us and where the rain dried us,” Aziegbemi said.