The defections of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, his deputy Sir Monday Onyeme, former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, and their supporters from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) have deepened fears that Nigeria is drifting towards a one-party state.
Speaking on the situation in an interview with Vanguard, Senator Chris Ekpenyong, a founding father of the PDP and former Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, said President Bola Tinubu has effectively captured the PDP and that the party may find it difficult to recover.
“It means Tinubu has killed the PDP. I’m sure Akwa Ibom may follow soon. Everybody wanted former VP Atiku to clearly state that he wasn’t going to contest, but his persistence has forced people to make their own decisions. This is dividing the North and the South. What do we do now? The party has been destroyed. I honestly don’t know how they can rebuild it to challenge the APC in the future,” Ekpenyong said.
He pointed to the decision by the PDP to hand over the party structure to governors as the root of its decline.
“The first mistake PDP made was handing over the party to the governors. That was the mistake founding fathers like Obasanjo made. Obasanjo seized the party. The only ones who stood up to him were the late Chief Sunday Awoniyi and former Vice President Alex Ekwueme, who actually founded the PDP. We joined Ekwueme when the party evolved from G34 to PDP,” he said.
Ekpenyong lamented that the party, once envisioned as a people-driven organization, became a tool for personal survival and protection from prosecution. “The party was left in the hands of governors, who now control everything. They know why they’re defecting, it’s mostly to protect themselves from the EFCC. We’ll wait and see what happens when Tinubu finishes his two terms. Will the North use APC for their own turn? We are heading for a one-party state. It’s left to them. I no longer have the locus standi to fight back. Those who looted the nation’s wealth have done their worst.”
Reflecting on the early signs of PDP’s decline, he noted, “The moment the party was handed over to governors, it was clear. During the Second Republic, the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) wasn’t controlled by governors. If it had been, I wouldn’t have become a member of the House of Assembly at such a young age, even while serving as a Youth Corps member. I had no money.”
Ekpenyong also revealed that he advised embattled Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara to seek an audience with President Tinubu. “I called Fubara, he didn’t answer. But I sent him a message. I told him that since Tinubu was in France, he should visit him because this whole battle is about delivering Rivers State votes to Tinubu. The young man is being humiliated by Wike, and the President has done nothing. Instead, he installed an administrator in the state. This is clearly about votes. Fubara has to survive politically, if not, he’ll be rubbished,” he said.
He criticized the current set of PDP governors for what he described as weakness and a lack of courage. “They are weak. All they care about is power and their own survival. A few governors from the North might jump ship too. Atiku is the problem. He should have focused on rebuilding the party instead of always aiming for the presidency.”
Describing the situation as the end of the road for PDP, Ekpenyong said, “As things stand, only a movement from the people can bring real opposition. What’s happening now is the requiem for the PDP. I spoke to Okwesilieze Nwodo, a former governor and party National Chairman. We had a long discussion. He said he was hopeful the issues would be addressed at the Convention, but what’s likely to come out of it now?”
He concluded that the imbalance caused by the PDP’s decisions after the death of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua had far-reaching consequences. “PDP made a huge mistake after late President Yar’Adua’s death. They should have let someone from the North continue. But they insisted it was the South’s turn. That disrupted the balance. I don’t see PDP coming back. Maybe after Tinubu’s tenure, people will decide to create a new party,” Ekpenyong said.
When asked about the possibility of independent candidates, he replied, “If you choose to contest as an independent and they eliminate you at the last minute, what can you do?”
