The Tanimu Turaki-led Peoples Democratic Party has ruled out any alliance with the ruling All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 general elections, warning that such a move poses a threat to electoral democracy and could lead Nigeria towards an “electoral monarchy.”
The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary of the Interim National Working Committee, Ini Ememobong, on Tuesday, said the party’s principled members would not support President Tinubu’s re-election or endorse the policies of the APC-led Federal Government.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the National Leader of the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led PDP have maintained their commitment to working for Tinubu’s re-election.
Wike, on Monday, told members of the support group of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, during a meeting in Port Harcourt, the state capital, that all PDP members must work for Tinubu’s re-election.
Reacting, the Turaki-led INWC described those promoting such an arrangement as pretenders within the opposition who were working for the ruling party.
He stated, ” The news credited to … is that PDP candidates should collapse their structures and support the re-election of President Bola Tinubu is nothing new, except for the fact that his message is not directed at real PDP members. The message is meant for persons who, like him, are pretenders in the opposition but are working for the governing party.
“The true and principled members of the Peoples Democratic Party are not part of the shameless, self-serving support for the APC-led Federal Government and its destructive policies. The paramount duty of the opposition is to provide an alternative to the incumbent, not to massage their ego. If at all opposition parties are to have an alliance, it will be amongst themselves, not with the governing party.
“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.
“We urge all true and faithful members of the Peoples Democratic Party to remain steadfast as we await the judiciary’s decision, hopeful that it will return our party to its true owners. 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.”
The statement added that “Nigerians should be wary of elite accommodation and state capture masquerading as broad-based political collaboration. The election next year provides a great opportunity to vote out these insensitive and irresponsible political actors.”