PDP risks missing the 2027 presidential election due to ongoing leadership disputes, court appeals, and internal party conflicts, sources say
Omenka Thomas, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has warned that the party may be unable to participate in the 2027 presidential election due to an unresolved leadership tussle.
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The Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Friday urged the warring PDP factions to settle their differences amicably, describing the dispute as a family matter that has “gone sour.”
Meanwhile, the Abuja division of the Court of Appeal is expected to deliver its judgment on consolidated appeals from both factions today.
Thomas said litigation over the validity of the Ibadan convention is unlikely to conclude before the party’s presidential primary elections.
He attributed part of the crisis to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, alleging that the former Rivers State Governor does not want the PDP to field a candidate in 2027.
“Primary election is already at the corner and we don’t even know what the appeal court will decide on the matter yet,” Thomas said.
He added, “Any of the factions that elects a candidate during the primary, you don’t know what the court ruling will be; so nobody wants to waste his time and resources. We thought that by now, the Appeal Court must have ruled on the matter then before June to July, the Supreme Court will also give a final verdict but here we are still on appeal.”
Thomas further accused the APC of exploiting the situation by advancing the date for primary elections, suggesting that it benefits from the PDP’s internal dispute.
“The FCT Minister does not want the party to have a candidate in 2027 and the whole things are playing out the way he wants,” he said.
Also read: PDP Governors Urge Calm Ahead of Appeal Court Ruling
The ongoing leadership crisis has raised concerns over the PDP’s ability to meet the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) deadlines for conducting primaries, potentially jeopardising its participation in the next general election.
