With the factionalisation of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party, the coast is getting increasingly clear for the All Progressives Congress’ victory in the 2027 general election as the African Democratic Congress, which is yet to win elective offices, seems to be the only major opposition party that will slug it out with the ruling party, Ejiofor Alike reports
This is the best of times for the politicians who are disguising themselves as members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) but actually working for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
While some of these PDP and LP members were suspected to have been sponsored by the agents of the ruling APC to destabilise these two opposition parties, others are disgruntled members of the opposition parties playing anti-party roles for personal reasons and without external influence.
The dissident factions in these parties appear to enjoy the support of the APC-led government.
Ironically, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which is supposed to regulate and unite political parties for the advancement of the country’s democracy, are believed to be fuelling the internal leadership crises in the two parties.
Temporary peace had returned in the PDP when the party recognised Senator Samuel Anyanwu, an ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, as the National Secretary.
Anyanwu’s position as the PDP’s national secretary came under dispute after he contested the November 11, 2023 governorship election in Imo State as majority of the party leaders insisted that he had lost his position after he emerged as the party’s governorship candidate in April 2023.
Though the majority of the party’s leaders had supported Sunday Ude Okoye as his replacement, protracted litigation forced them to recognise Anyanwu.
However, Anyanwu’s recognition did not end the leadership crisis as the party continued to fight him and other Wike’s loyalists who are suspected to be APC moles working to destroy the party ahead of the 2027 general election.
Anyanwu and other Wike’s loyalists opposed the National Convention of the party fixed for November 15 and 16 at Ibadan, Oyo State, to elect new national officers,
Wike’s loyalists sought and obtained the judgment of Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja restraining the PDP from proceeding with its planned convention in Ibadan until further notice, in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025.
However, the party insisted on going ahead with the convention.
The Oyo State High Court presided by Justice A. L. Akintola also granted the party approval to proceed with its national convention.
The crisis got to a peak when the party suspended Anyanwu; the National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN); Deputy National Legal Adviser, Okechukwu Osuoha; and National Organising Secretary, Umaru Bature, for one month.
But in a swift reaction, Anyanwu’s faction, backed by Wike, announced the suspension of the Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, and five other members of the NWC.
In a dramatic turn of events, the Acting Chairman of the Anyanwu-led faction, Abdulrahman Mohammed, stormed the National Secretariat of the party and assumed leadership amidst tight security, strengthening the speculations that the faction is backed by the APC-led government to destabilise the party.
Efforts by PDP leaders and a group of staff members to evict Anyanwu from his office on the third floor, were met with stiff resistance from policemen stationed at the secretariat, who fired tear gas to disperse them.
Wike, who is backing this faction, has never hidden his intention to work for the victory of the APC in the 2027 general election.
With the police and other security agencies backing the splinter faction allegedly working for the APC, the main opposition party will remain in disarray and won’t be a match to the APC in 2027.
Leadership crisis had also weakened the Labour Party (LP), having been split into two factions – Julius Abure-led faction, and Senator Nenadi Usman-led faction.
Under the former leadership of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, INEC had de-recognised the Abure-led faction.
However, the commission did not expressly pronounce the Usman-led leadership as the authentic faction, leaving the fate of the party and its aspirants vying for various elective offices in the off-season elections and the 2027 general election to hang in the air.
The allegation of INEC’s complicity in the LP crisis deepened when the Usman-led faction demanded the arrest of the then Acting Chairman of the INEC, Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, for what the LP faction described as alleged criminal collusion with Abure.
In a statement signed by Usman’s spokesman, Ken Asogwa, in Abuja, the party described the decision of the Acting INEC boss to invite Abure to a meeting with the leadership of the 18 registered political parties despite a subsisting Supreme Court judgment, as reckless.
Asogwa said that the INEC boss claimed that she was merely obeying a court order, which does not exist.
But in a swift reaction, the Abure’s faction, through a statement signed by its spokesperson, Obiora Ifoh, threatened to write a petition to the NBA against Asogwa, who is a lawyer, for describing a validly issued order of a court as fake.
The presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 general election, Atiku Abubakar; his counterpart in the LP, Peter Obi; former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai; former Sokoto State governor, Senator Aminu Tambuwal, and other opposition leaders had alleged that President Tinubu and the ruling party were destabilising the opposition parties.
But the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said Tinubu and the party “have no idle time to meddle in broken opposition parties.”
Morka said the opposition leaders had failed to provide effective leadership for their parties, which he described as “rudderless” and weakened by internal contradictions.
With internal crises rendering the PDP and LP too weak to wrestle power from the APC in the 2027 polls, the ruling party will have only the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to contend with.
However, the capacity of the ADC to challenge the ruling party is also doubtful as the party does not have members in elective positions.
President Tinubu’s statement that it was his pleasure to witness the opposition parties in such disarray lent credence to the speculations that the ruling party is behind the crises in the opposition parties.
He said this while addressing a joint session of the National Assembly in June to mark 25 years of uninterrupted democracy in Nigeria.
“I have no plans to turn Nigeria into a one-party state. I have never altered the registration of any political party in INEC. I will be the last person to advocate such a thing.
“Political parties fearful of members leaving may be better served by examining their internal processes and affairs rather than fearfully conjuring up demons that do not exist. For me, I would say try your best to put your house in order. I will not help you do so. It is, indeed, a pleasure to witness you in such disarray,” Tinubu reportedly added.