The Minority Leader of the Senate, Abba Moro, has said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is using calculated tactics to destabilise the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Mr Moro, the senator representing Benue South Senatorial District, stated this during the PDP National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Abuja on Tuesday.
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The senator, who chairs the PDP Caucus of the National Assembly, insisted that the party remains the most viable alternative for Nigerians in the build-up to the 2027 general elections.
He urged the party faithful not to be discouraged by the perceived strategies of the ruling party or by the internal crisis within the party (PDP).
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“And so, from whatever, rising from the stories of defections, even the antics of the ruling party, to bring us down, I want us to convince ourselves that Nigeria deserves an alternative and that alternative is PDP to provide another level of leadership,” he said.
Defections
Mr Moro acknowledged that defections pose a temporary challenge to the PDP.
However, he expressed confidence in the resilience and appeal of the PDP’s core ideals, which, he said, will continue to resonate with Nigerians nationwide.
“Let me state here that we have observed in the National Assembly that there have been various defections of our senior, very serious members of the party and that could give the impression to anybody that PDP is on the verge of collapse.
“But I say to you here that we in the National Assembly believe that coming from all the constituencies of Nigeria to make up the PDP, and knowing that PDP is the biggest brand in this country today, that you can find in any nook and cranny of Nigeria, that PDP is very strong and these activities carried out meticulously will even make the PDP stronger.
“And so, we say that while the defection of very senior members of the party must have a temporary setback, we believe that PDP, with its ideas and ideas, will definitely be the party to beat, even in 2027,” he said.
The minority leader reminded the NEC members that the PDP was born not out of political convenience but from a visionary group of patriotic Nigerians determined to build a party rooted in democratic values.
“We should not lose sight of the fact that PDP was put together by 16 and then 34 members. At that time, we didn’t have any governors, we didn’t have any senators; we didn’t have any other leaders other than the people who, in their own idea, conceived PDP as a democratic party that could give Nigeria a purposeful leadership,” he said.
PDP Caucus backs party leadership
Mr Moro reaffirmed the commitment of PDP lawmakers in the National Assembly to the party’s rebuilding process.
He noted that the caucus stands in full support of efforts by the National Working Committee (NWC), Board of Trustees (BoT), and PDP governors to reposition the party ahead of 2027.
“Members of the PDP in the National Assembly are completely in tandem with the efforts of our governors, NWC members, and BoT to revamp the fortunes of the PDP. And that is why we give complete confidence to the line-up of activities of the leadership of the party that will culminate in the national convention of our party.
“We believe that given the circumstances in which we find ourselves as a party, that there is no better time than now to line up activities that will reassure members of the PDP, lovers of the PDP, lovers of democracy in Nigeria, that PDP is coming back,” he said.
Mr Moro called for cohesion among members and urged the National Assembly caucus to work tirelessly to return the party to its winning ways.
“And so today, this is one of the series of activities that we are attending today. And we believe in the National Assembly that moving forward, in complete unity and cohesion, members of the PDP, as it was in the beginning, as it is still now, will continue to work hard towards ensuring that PDP goes back to its winning ways,” he said.
Four senators have defected from the PDP and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to ruling APC in less than a month.
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On 7 May, Kano South Senator Kawu Sumaila left NNPP for the APC, claiming an unresolved party leadership crisis which has led to litigations and internal divisions.
On 13 May, the three senators from Kebbi State defected from the PDP to the APC. The senators are Adamu Aliero, representing Kebbi Central Senatorial District; Yahaya Abdullahi, representing Kebbi North Senatorial District; and Garba Maidoki, representing Kebbi South Senatorial District.
Earlier, Delta North Senator Ned Nwoko, dumped the PDP for the APC.
There have also been defections from opposition parties to the APC in the House of Representatives.
With the defections, the APC now holds 68 seats in the 109-member Senate, consolidating its majority. The PDP was reduced to 30 seats. While the Labour Party has five, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has two, and the NNPP and APGA hold one seat each.
The Senate has 107 sitting members since the death of former Anambra South Senator, Ifeanyi Ubah, last July and the departure of Monday Okpebholo, who vacated Edo Central seat after being elected governor of Edo State last September.
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