Defections and PDP’s Continuous Decline

Obinna Chima

When on June 14, this year, I wrote about the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with the title, ‘PDP: Can This Dry Bone Live Again?’ I never knew that the party’s decline would deepen so rapidly within a few months.

At the time, I merely reflected on its waning influence and the urgent need for internal renewal. But recent events, including the widening division among its National Working Committee (NWC), intense legal battle ahead of its November National Convention, relentless defection of its members in the National and State Houses of Assembly, the shocking defection of Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the sudden exit of Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, have turned that question from a metaphor into a full-blown political reality.

Once the most formidable political party on the continent, the PDP, which dominated Nigeria’s political landscape like a colossus for 16 unbroken years, has, in less than a decade, become a shadow of its former self, disoriented, divided, and increasingly battling for survival in the Nigerian political setting.

Governor Mbah, his deputy, Ifeanyi Ossai, the cabinet, and the entire political structure in the State dumped the opposition party for the APC. Mbah, during a ceremony to mark his movement to the ruling party, had described the APC as the largest political party in Africa, adding that his defection was “a collective decision of the entire political family of the state.”

Further justifying his decision, Mbah said the vision of Enugu State has now found stronger reinforcement at the centre.

The Governor stated that for over three decades, the people of Enugu walked side by side with the opposition party, yet their voices were too often disregarded when it mattered most, a clear betrayal of faithfulness, fairness, and friendship. He said some of the betrayals included the failure to zone the Presidency of the party to the South-east in 2023 and the failure to recognise Sunday Udeh-Okoye, a former PDP youth leader as the party’s national secretary.

Ahead of his defection, the Enugu Governor had warned that the failure of the PDP to ratify Udeh-Okoye as South-east’s choice for the Secretary of the opposition party could cause the exit of his followers from the PDP. In their communique after the South East Zonal Executive Committee (ZEC) meeting at THE Government House, Enugu, on May 14, the South East PDP had warned that it was fed up and might leave the party if it failed to ratify Udeh-Okoye as the National Secretary for the umpteenth time.

For Bayelsa’s Douye Diri, who announced his resignation from the leading opposition party following weeks of speculation, left with about 17 members of the PDP caucus in the House of Assembly, but did not disclose his new political party.

As expected, leaders of the PDP, such as Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, Chief Olabode George, former Bayelsa Governor, Seriake Dickson, and the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, have assured members not to lose hope, assuring them that the party’s current challenges are only temporary. For them, the PDP’s strength lies with the people, not the defecting lawmakers and Governors.

Indeed, while the current wave of defection raises concerns of a one-party State, it must be noted that the survival of the PDP is not merely about preserving a political brand; it is about safeguarding Nigeria’s democratic integrity. The persistent fragmentation within the party has weakened the PDP’s ability to serve as an effective opposition. In a country where checks and balances are already fragile, a divided opposition further endangers democratic accountability.

As the country’s oldest and once most dominant political party, the PDP had been instrumental in shaping modern Nigeria’s democratic journey. Its collapse would further entrench a dangerous political monopoly, weakening opposition voices and eroding the checks and balances essential in a healthy democracy.

The role of opposition parties is critical in determining the level of accountability from governing parties and governments, the effectiveness of public service delivery, and the overall quality of a country’s democracy.

Just as Senator Seriake Dickson said in his recent intervention on the matter, “A democracy without opposition ceases to be a democracy. It becomes a dictatorship from that day. It becomes totalitarian from that day. Opposition does not mean you have to be fighting.”

The opposition has a duty to themselves and to their voters to play the role of an alternative government and, indeed, the role of a government in waiting. In fact, in more mature democracies, this is well recognised and the leader of the largest opposition party is often given access to sensitive information on the basis that he or she, as the Prime Minister in waiting, has to be ready to perform the role of running the country at comparatively short notice. The opposition has the responsibility to give attention to the continuous development of its policies and to keep these in view before parliament and the people. The major challenge for the opposition is its need to be seen as credible in this role.

A democratic system is significantly undermined if the opposition does not offer any credible alternatives to the governing party, which is what we see in Nigeria today.

In the corporate world, rebuilding a dying or dead brand requires a combination of honest self-assessment, strategic reinvention, and disciplined execution. The process is challenging, but with the right approach, it’s also an opportunity to craft a stronger, more resilient identity.

If the PDP is to regain relevance and rebrand itself, it must begin with a sober internal reckoning. This means resolving long-standing leadership crises and reconnecting with the Nigerian people, particularly the youth and middle class. Its leaders must look beyond personalities and factions and focus on rebuilding public trust ahead of 2027.

More importantly, for it to become competitive once more, stakeholders of the main opposition party must rebuild from the grassroots, where we have millions of Nigerians who are not politically aligned but are deeply affected by national policies and yearn for meaningful representation. This set of citizens who are mostly traders, farmers, artisans, young professionals, and the unemployed, form the real electoral base, and their trust can only be regained through consistent engagement, visible impact, and authentic leadership at the community level.

Finally, the PDP must also embrace transparency in its primaries, cultivate new voices untainted by past excesses, and offer a compelling vision that speaks to the nation’s current challenges.