Former Senate President and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Reconciliation Committee, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has cautioned that the party may experience further defections despite ongoing efforts to reposition it ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking during an interview on Arise TV on Friday, Saraki stated: “PDP would likely see one or two more defections, and we should prepare ourselves for that; there is a possibility. We haven’t seen the worst of the defections for PDP. We would probably see maybe one or two governors who will defect, and we might see some senators who will defect.”
However, Saraki described the timing of the crisis as advantageous, noting that it allows the party sufficient time to recover before the election cycle intensifies. “For some of us, this happening early in PDP is an advantage. We are lucky that this is not happening, let’s say, late 2026; we would not even have had time to recover and regroup,” he said.
He added: “We have just under two years to the election, and we are lucky to have that. I think, with a lot of commitment and understanding, it is not a lost cause. A party with over 26 years of history that has been around, the largest party, we will definitely have low times like this.”
Despite the internal challenges at the national level, Saraki emphasized that the PDP remains strong at the grassroots. “When you go round the country, the state chapters, the local government chapters, the party is still very strong in the grassroots. In some areas in the country, they are not even aware of what is happening at our level, in Abuja,” he noted.
He expressed optimism about the party’s prospects, saying: “The reactions we are seeing at the grassroots give us a lot of encouragement. But what we need to do is to get to the bottom and start to build.”
Saraki revealed that the PDP is already laying the groundwork for the 2027 elections but warned that the stakes extend beyond mere party survival. “This is not just about resolving today’s issues. It’s about building for the future. The next convention must not be business as usual. We must bring in new, younger faces who represent the future of this party,” he stressed.
He concluded with a stark warning about the broader implications of the PDP’s struggles: “If PDP fails, Nigeria edges closer to a one-party state. And that would be a disaster for democracy.”
