{"id":2864,"date":"2025-10-17T13:08:35","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T13:08:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/roadto2027.com\/?p=2864"},"modified":"2025-10-17T13:08:36","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T13:08:36","slug":"our-governors-are-greedy-and-selfish-pdp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/roadto2027.com\/?p=2864","title":{"rendered":"OUR GOVERNORS ARE GREEDY AND SELFISH \u2013 PDP"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The People\u2019s Democratic Party (PDP) has accused governors defecting from its fold of greed, selfishness, and covetousness,<\/em><\/strong> insisting that Nigerians will ultimately decide their fate in the 2027 general elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opposition party maintained that it is not governors who make a political party, but the people, adding that those abandoning the platform that brought them to power would soon regret their actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the 2023 general election, four governors have left the PDP \u2014 Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta and Pastor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, while Peter Mbah of Enugu, and Douye Diri of Bayelsa followed the trend this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even the party\u2019s 2023 presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and his running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa, have withdrawn their memberships, along with some key allies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Defections driven by greed\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking during an interview on Arise Television, PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary Ibrahim Abdullahi said the wave of defections is motivated by \u201cgreed, avarice, and selfishness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo the best of my knowledge and that of most Nigerians, you cannot find a compelling reason for a governor, especially one on a second term like in Bayelsa, to abandon the party that produced him,\u201d Abdullahi said. \u201cYou can\u2019t find any justifiable reason other than covetousness, greed, and avarice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He insisted that the PDP remains strong despite its challenges. \u201cOur party is in good stead. We have internal issues like every other political party, but we have addressed the major ones that could have afflicted our ability to serve as a credible opposition as we journey towards 2027,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the spokesman of Bayelsa Governor Douye Diri, Daniel Alabrah, could not be reached for comment, the Special Adviser to Enugu Governor Peter Mbah on Media, Dan Nwomeh, told Daily Trust that the PDP\u2019s reaction was expected and understandable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe governor has made adequate explanation on why he left the PDP; it\u2019s all contained in his speech. We understand the PDP won\u2019t be happy, but we can\u2019t help it,\u201d Nwomeh said. \u201cWe can\u2019t remain in a party where our voice doesn\u2019t count. If you leave the PDP, they will find something to say, that\u2019s politics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 PDP unfazed, eyes Ibadan convention<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking further, Abdullahi said the party is unbothered by the defections and is instead focused on its forthcoming national convention in Ibadan, which he said would \u201cchange the face of the party\u201d and reposition it as a credible alternative ahead of 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese few elements are driven by self-greed and the coercion and temptation of the ruling party,\u201d he said. \u201cOther than that, there\u2019s no reason for their action. To the PDP, it\u2019s good riddance to bad rubbish.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the departure of such figures offers the party an opportunity to \u201cweed out terrible elements\u201d ahead of the convention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany Nigerians have been asking what could have prompted these defections because the PDP remains in good stead. There\u2019s no rationale other than selfishness and greed,\u201d Abdullahi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He insisted that the defection of a few governors does not define the party\u2019s fate. \u201cIt\u2019s not about PDP or APC anymore; it\u2019s APC versus Nigerians. Let them do whatever they can \u2014 we\u2019ve seen worse temptations than this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abdullahi dismissed claims by Governor Mbah that the South East has been marginalised within the PDP despite supporting the party for 27 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is the same party that produced five Senate Presidents from the South East. Each of the states in the region produced a Senate President at one point. They also produced ministers in very notable ministries,\u201d he argued. \u201cThere was a time the PDP empowered the South East to the point where names like Okonjo-Iweala emerged globally. So, what exactly is he talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abdullahi accused Mbah of failing to participate in party activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor four years that I have been in the PDP, I haven\u2019t seen Peter Mbah attend any NEC or major party meeting in Abuja,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you claim the PDP has not provided leadership, as a governor you are the custodian of that leadership in your state. So, if leadership is lacking, it\u2019s an admission of failure on your part.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Abdullahi also took a swipe at former Enugu governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, accusing him of diminishing his political stature. \u201cIt\u2019s disappointing that a former governor and former member of the National Assembly has reduced himself to a personal assistant, literally carrying bags for a sitting minister. That\u2019s shameless,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Governors being coerced \u2013 Ogidi<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also speaking, the South South Zonal Caretaker Chairman of the PDP, Elder Emmanuel Ogidi, alleged that the defecting governors were being coerced by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He told Daily Trust that both governors and party members were under intense pressure to abandon the PDP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven second-term governors are leaving, and we don\u2019t know their reasons,\u201d he said. \u201cSome of it is personal, but we know there\u2019s coercion. They are being threatened seriously. Nigerians already know that the APC wants to turn the country into a one-party state that\u2019s their ultimate goal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The APC and the presidency have severally denied any plot to turn the country into a one-party state, insisiting that the opposition parties are the architect of their own misfortune and that it is not the duty of the ruling party to help them fix their problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ogidi, however, said despite the defections, the PDP remains focused on its upcoming national convention. \u201cWe are committed to going ahead with it. Ironically, some of those now leaving had worked hard for its success,\u201d he said. \u201cBut they were forced to abandon the party because they don\u2019t want the convention to hold.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defecting governors cowardly, gutless \u2013 Udenta<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also reacting, Professor Udenta O. Udenta, founding national secretary of the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD), described the defecting governors as \u201ccowardly, chicken-hearted, and gutless.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said many of them lack an understanding of \u201cthe genealogy of power\u201d and have no appreciation of how they rose to prominence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor example, how did they climb to the top? Who mentored them? Who taught them the art and purpose of politics, power, responsibility, and accountability?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTake the case of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom I criticise quite often but objectively. You must give it to him that he prepared for power very deliberately. That\u2019s why he can toy with some of these politicians with ease.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Udenta said Tinubu, who as governor between 1999 and 2007 battled the PDP\u2019s attempt to capture the South West, now appears to be \u201cordering governors and senators to abandon their parties and betray the people\u2019s trust, and they are complying sheepishly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He noted that in some states, \u201ccommissioners now wear clothes with the president\u2019s image printed on them,\u201d a trend he described as \u201cthe height of sycophancy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to him, \u201cSome of these governors flee from their parties citing internal crises, as if conflict is not a normal human condition to be managed and resolved. If you run away from your party because it\u2019s in crisis, you\u2019re unfit to lead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that \u201creal politicians and real leaders dig in, make compromises, adjust, and remain resolute because they believe in something and are guided by moral clarity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Udenta argued that many of the defecting governors lack the courage to uphold the principles of federalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom Akwa Ibom to Delta and Enugu to Bayelsa, their mantra is that aligning with the centre brings prosperity. But they fail to grasp that federalism and separation of powers are not just theoretical ideals but practical administrative realities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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He recalled how Tinubu, as Lagos governor, confronted former President Olusegun Obasanjo over federal encroachment on state powers between 1999 and 2007. \u201cHe had an activist mindset and bitterly contested power with successive PDP presidents. These new governors lack that courage,\u201d Udenta said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He criticised Governor Mbah\u2019s claim of PDP marginalisation, saying the South East benefitted immensely under PDP administrations. \u201cWith the exception of the presidency and vice presidency, the region held virtually every major national position \u2014 Senate presidents, deputy Senate presidents, speakers, SGF, chiefs of army staff, IGPs, CBN governor, finance minister, and chief economic adviser,\u201d he said. \u201cMany even believe an Igbo man was the most powerful figure during Obasanjo\u2019s eight-year presidency.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Enugu-born professor said the problem lies not in access to power but in what the South East elite did with it. \u201cWhen their son, Peter Obi, ran for president in 2023 and came close to victory, did they rally behind him?\u201d he asked. \u201cToday, the same decamped political nomads are asking him to step aside. That\u2019s what I call cultural and political surrender \u2014 an abandonment of their people\u2019s pride and historical identity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Udenta added that the PDP and other opposition parties might actually be \u201cshedding unwanted baggage\u201d through these defections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe PDP must reconstruct itself as the true party of the people, as it claimed in 1998 when it was founded \u2014 hence the motto, Power to the People,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not a member of the PDP, but as a patriot, I believe that Nigeria\u2019s multi-party democracy is under severe threat from the current hybrid regime with its competitive authoritarian and illiberal mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said patriots must \u201cstruggle hard to preserve opposition parties\u201d as a safeguard against democratic collapse. \u201cSome governors are valiantly resisting the massive federal onslaught on the party and working day and night to save it. This is not the time to sit on the fence,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the absence of a radical ideological alternative, Nigerians must remain engaged in defending multi-party democracy, which the current regime seems determined to dismantle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Court restates order on PDP convention<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, a Federal High Court in Abuja has restated its earlier order directing parties to maintain the status quo in the suit seeking to stop the PDP\u2019s national convention scheduled for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyo State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Justice James Omotosho reiterated the order during Thursday\u2019s resumed hearing, warning that he would issue consequential orders against any party that resorts to self-help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The judge made the remarks after PDP counsel Chris Uche (SAN) complained that the order was hindering preparations and sought an accelerated hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Justice Omotosho assured the parties that judgment would be delivered before the end of October \u201cso that everyone knows their fate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe court must not be overreached. If such happens, I have the power to nullify any act done in defiance of this court,\u201d he said. \u201cI assure you, the decision will be ready by the end of October.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The judge fixed Monday, October 20, for definite hearing of the originating summons filed by three aggrieved party members \u2014 Hon. Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP chairman), Hon. Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia PDP chairman), and Turnah George (PDP secretary, South South).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plaintiffs, represented by Joseph Daudu (SAN), are seeking an order stopping the convention. The defendants include the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); the PDP; National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu; National Organising Secretary Umar Bature; the National Working Committee (NWC); and the National Executive Committee (NEC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At Thursday\u2019s proceedings, both PDP National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN) and Chris Uche (SAN) claimed to represent the party. Justice Omotosho directed them to file their papers so the court can determine who is the legitimate counsel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He ordered all parties to exchange their processes by October 17 ahead of the October 20 hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Tuesday Chris Uche (SAN), who was representing the acting National Chairman of the PDP, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagun, and National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN), clashed openly in court over who has the authority to appoint lawyers to represent the party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Damagun had informed the court that he had authorised Uche and five other Senior Advocates of Nigeria to represent the PDP in the case. Ajibade immediately objected, insisting that as the party\u2019s legal adviser, only he has the statutory authority to appoint legal representation on behalf of the PDP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Justice Omotosho had earlier attempted to mediate the disagreement by standing the matter down to allow both sides to reconcile, but the effort failed. The judge subsequently adjourned the case to Thursday for hearing. However, with both counsels still entering appearances for the PDP at the resumed session, it became clear that there was no resolution to the conflict, a development that observers have described as embarrassing for the party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Credit: Daily Trust<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The People\u2019s Democratic Party (PDP) has accused governors defecting from its fold of greed, selfishness, and covetousness, insisting that Nigerians will ultimately decide their fate in the 2027 general elections. The opposition party maintained that it is not governors who make a political party, but the people, adding that those abandoning the platform that brought […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2866,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[22,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-parties","category-state-govt"],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/roadto2027.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-09-19-at-19.36.22_3bcb54c2.jpg",828,464,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/roadto2027.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-09-19-at-19.36.22_3bcb54c2-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/roadto2027.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-09-19-at-19.36.22_3bcb54c2-300x168.jpg",300,168,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/roadto2027.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-09-19-at-19.36.22_3bcb54c2-768x430.jpg",640,358,true],"large":["https:\/\/roadto2027.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-09-19-at-19.36.22_3bcb54c2.jpg",640,359,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/roadto2027.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-09-19-at-19.36.22_3bcb54c2.jpg",828,464,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/roadto2027.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-09-19-at-19.36.22_3bcb54c2.jpg",828,464,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Adam","author_link":"https:\/\/roadto2027.com\/?author=3"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The People\u2019s Democratic Party (PDP) has accused governors defecting from its fold of greed, selfishness, and covetousness, insisting that Nigerians will ultimately decide their fate in the 2027 general elections. The opposition party maintained that it is not governors who make a political party, but the people, adding that those abandoning the platform that brought…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/roadto2027.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/roadto2027.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/roadto2027.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roadto2027.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roadto2027.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2864"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/roadto2027.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2864\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2871,"href":"https:\/\/roadto2027.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2864\/revisions\/2871"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roadto2027.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/roadto2027.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roadto2027.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roadto2027.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}