A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, led by Tanimu Turaki, has rejected a call by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for the party’s candidates to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
The faction described the call as nothing new, insisting that it was not directed at genuine members of the opposition party.
In a statement signed by the faction’s interim National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, on Tuesday, the group accused Mr Wike and his allies of pretending to belong to the opposition while working for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
“The message is meant for persons who, like him, are pretenders in the opposition but are working for the governing party,” Mr Ememobong said.
He added that genuine PDP members would not support what he described as the self-serving backing of the APC-led Federal Government and its policies.
“The true and principled members of the Peoples Democratic Party are not part of the self-serving support for the APC-led Federal Government and its destructive policies,” he said.
The faction argued that the primary responsibility of opposition parties was to provide Nigerians with an alternative to the incumbent government rather than support it.
It also rejected the possibility of opposition parties forming an alliance with the ruling party, warning that such an arrangement could undermine Nigeria’s electoral democracy.
“If at all opposition parties are to have an alliance, it will be amongst themselves, not with the governing party,” the statement said.
The faction described the political arrangement being promoted as a “rainbow coalition” as a threat to democratic competition.
“This political anomaly, styled and championed as a ‘rainbow coalition,’ is the greatest threat to electoral democracy and the fastest way of railroading the country into an electoral monarchy,” it said.
The group also urged its members to remain committed to the party while awaiting the outcome of its legal battle over the PDP leadership dispute.
“Our case at the Court of Appeal has been heard, and we await judgment. We know that the entire judiciary is conscious that justice delayed is justice denied,” Mr Ememobong said.
The faction expressed hope that the court’s decision would restore the party to what it described as its rightful owners.
It further warned Nigerians against what it called elite accommodation and state capture disguised as broad-based political collaboration.
“Nigerians should be wary of elite accommodation and state capture masquerading as broad-based political collaboration,” the statement said.
The faction urged voters to use the 2027 general election to remove what it described as insensitive and irresponsible political actors from power.