It’s Over for PDP, Tinubu Has Taken Control — Ekpenyong

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is facing an uncertain future, as founding father and former Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Chris Ekpenyong, declared that President Bola Tinubu has effectively captured the opposition party, making its recovery unlikely. In a conversation with Vanguard, Ekpenyong blamed persistent internal missteps and leadership failures, particularly pointing fingers at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, for contributing to the party’s collapse.

Reacting to the recent defections of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, his deputy Sir Monday Onyeme, former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, and their supporters to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ekpenyong said the developments signify the death of the PDP. He warned that Akwa Ibom State may soon follow the same path. According to him, Atiku’s unwillingness to step aside from the presidential race despite repeated calls fractured the party, deepening the division between the North and South. “The party has been destroyed. I honestly don’t know how they can rebuild it to challenge the APC in the future,” he said.

Ekpenyong lamented that the founding fathers of the PDP lost control when the party’s structure was handed over to governors, a mistake he attributes to former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He recalled that leaders like the late Chief Sunday Awoniyi and former Vice President Alex Ekwueme, who helped found the PDP, resisted such moves but were ultimately sidelined. He noted that the governors now dominate the party for self-preservation, often defecting to the ruling APC to shield themselves from prosecution. He warned that Nigeria is heading toward a one-party state, adding, “It’s left to them. I no longer have the locus standi to fight back.”

Reflecting on the party’s history, Ekpenyong said he foresaw the decline when governors began to exert overwhelming influence. Unlike during the Second Republic, when parties like the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) were people-driven, PDP today is solely controlled by those in power. He pointed out that during his time, politicians without deep pockets could rise based on merit and the people’s support, an opportunity now closed off by the dominance of governors.

Speaking on the possibility of further defections, Ekpenyong revealed that he advised suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara to visit President Tinubu in France to secure his political survival amid his ongoing battle with Minister Nyesom Wike. He accused the President of turning a blind eye to Fubara’s humiliation, asserting that Tinubu’s real goal is to secure Rivers State votes in 2027. “The young man is being humiliated, and the President has installed an administrator in the state. This is clearly about votes,” he said.

Ekpenyong described the current crop of PDP governors as weak, focused solely on maintaining their power rather than defending the party’s ideals. He said Atiku’s continuous presidential ambitions prevented him from concentrating on rebuilding the PDP, noting that the opposition now lacks a viable strategy to counter the APC’s dominance. “Tinubu has already neutralized them. As things stand, only a movement from the people can bring real opposition,” he stated.

According to him, the upcoming PDP Convention is unlikely to produce any meaningful change, given that many of the party’s traditional powerbrokers have abandoned the struggle. He blamed the PDP’s earlier failure to allow a Northern successor after President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s death for the present imbalance in national politics, concluding that PDP’s era may be truly over. “I don’t see PDP coming back. Maybe after Tinubu’s tenure, people will decide to create a new party,” he said.

Asked about the prospects of independent candidates, Ekpenyong dismissed the idea, citing the constitutional and systemic barriers that make such a path impractical in Nigeria’s political landscape.