The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT) has said the African Democratic Congress ( ADC) coalition would not gain traction.
The Board stated this at a Conference of PDP Founding Fathers and Stakeholders with the theme: “Reclaiming our Legacy, Renewing our Collective Vision,” in Abuja.
Secretary of the PDP BoT and former Kaduna governor, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, who spoke on behalf of the board, noted that while the party was not necessarily against a coalition for the 2027 polls, it was against a coalition that is doomed to fail.
Makarfi explained that for any coalition of opposition parties to succeed, it ought to have been led by the PDP as the dominant opposition party. He expressed optimism that members of the PDP, who left for the ADC would eventually return once the party gets it right with its convention.
The PDP leader said while the party has been able to resolve its dispute over the national secretary position, which held it down for months, the ADC has a bigger challenge awaiting it.
According to him, “What we are against is a coalition that cannot work. We are saying that PDP is the leading party, leading opposition party. Any such thing should be under the leadership of our party. That is what Nigerians want to hear. And that is the difference in language.
“Why is that one (ADC ) not going to work? They are our friends, they will come back. You see we had internal issues. It has to do with the office of the national secretary. It took legal issues, INEC regulation issues. We said let’s bury the hatchet. Let’s move to a convention, unite and elect new national officers that will drive the party. That is in one office, it took us that long.
“But the issue in the ADC, it is the entire structure in the country you are talking about. It is not about one position. I took the liberty, just to know where I am, in my state to request for the certified true copy of the leadership structure (of the ADC) and it was given to me officially and it was clear that their tenure will expire May 2026.
“So, if somebody has given you structure now, which structure? You see the legal mess people are working into. Majority of them that have moved, I am confident that by the time we conduct a very successful national convention and do the needful, an overwhelming majority will return. Not only will an overwhelming majority return, we will also get other people from other parties that will come and join the PDP.”
