The Kabiru Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised m concerns over what it described as mounting threats to Nigeria’s multi-party democracy.
The faction raised the concerns during a meeting with officials of the United Kingdom High Commission, where it accused the federal government of weakening democratic institutions and stifling opposition politics.
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The meeting, held between the UK High Commission delegation and the PDP’s interim leadership led by former Minister of Special Duties Kabiru Turaki (SAN), focused on the state of Nigeria’s democracy, the role of the opposition and the country’s political outlook ahead of the 2026 and 2027 electoral cycles.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by the PDP Interim National Working Committee through its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the discussions formed part of the party’s ongoing engagement with members of the international community on developments in Nigeria’s political space.
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The UK delegation was led by Fortune Aldred, Senior Political Adviser at the British High Commission, alongside Stephen Asek, Political Adviser (Cameroon).
Other members of the PDP team at the meeting included the National Secretary, Wonyengikuro Daniel, National Treasurer, Isa Abubakar, National Organising Secretary Theophilus Shan, National Legal Adviser Shafi Bara’u, Principal Private Secretary to the Chairman Ibrahim Abdullahi and Mr Ememobong.
PDP alleges shrinking democratic space
The opposition party said discussions centred on what it called the “asphyxiation of the opposition,” the prolonged leadership crisis within the PDP, the political outlook ahead of future elections and issues surrounding former President Goodluck Jonathan’s possible candidature in the 2027 presidential election.
Although the statement did not disclose the position taken on Mr Jonathan’s possible return to electoral politics, it identified the issue as one of the major subjects discussed during the engagement.
Mr Turaki told the UK delegation that preserving a vibrant opposition remained essential for the survival of Nigeria’s democracy.
“The need to ensure the survival of multi-party democracy and the opposition remains critical to a thriving democratic system,” the factional chairman was quoted as saying.
He further accused the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal administration of pursuing what he described as a “state capture disposition,” alleging that the government was systematically attempting to dominate the political landscape.
According to him, the actions of the federal government had heightened political tensions across the country.
“The political temperature of the country has risen to fever-pitch levels, traceable majorly to the actions and inactions of the APC-led federal government, who are relentlessly provocative in their desire to forcefully capture every part of our country,” he said.
The PDP also linked its engagement with the British diplomats to recent political developments, including President Bola Tinubu’s widely reported remark that “all is fair in politics,” which the party alleged had encouraged the weaponisation of state institutions against opposition parties.
UK High Commission responds
Responding on behalf of the British delegation, Mr Aldred thanked the PDP factional leadership for the engagement and assured the party that the issues raised would be communicated through the High Commission’s established diplomatic reporting channels.
He, however, stressed that Nigeria remained a sovereign nation whose political affairs were for Nigerians to determine.
READ ALSO: 2027 Poll: Turaki-led PDP faction submits ex-President Jonathan’s name, others to INEC
According to the statement, Mr Aldred said the responsibility of the High Commission was to understand political developments in Nigeria and relay its observations through appropriate diplomatic mechanisms.
The Kabiru Turaki-led PDP faction is one of the rival camps laying claim to the leadership of Nigeria’s main opposition party.
The faction operates with an Interim National Working Committee headed by Mr Turaki, with Mr Ememobong serving as its spokesperson, amid an ongoing leadership dispute with a rival camp over control of the party.
The other faction is led by Abdulrahman Mohammed and backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, a PDP member serving in the APC-led federal government.
The Mohammed-led was recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which recently gave it access to its portal to upload its candidates for the 2027 general election.
It is unclear whether the High Commission has met with the group.
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