Edo PDP Leaders Set Eyes on 2027 Battle Against Tinubu "The Agenda For 2027 Is To Remove Tinubu From Aso Rock"

 

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State has boldly declared that its immediate political objective is to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu come 2027. The announcement was made during a stakeholders’ meeting held in Benin City, where members and leaders of the party gathered to discuss the way forward following recent legal and political setbacks.

Tony Aziegbemi, the State Caretaker Committee Chairman of the PDP, delivered a spirited charge to party loyalists, calling for a united effort to resist the current trajectory of governance in Nigeria. He stressed that the PDP must begin building momentum to ensure that Tinubu does not return to Aso Rock for a second term.

Aziegbemi did not hold back in his criticism of the Tinubu-led administration. He described the current state of the Nigerian economy as deeply troubling and unsustainable. According to him, the country is facing an economic downturn that cannot be overlooked, and it is the responsibility of the PDP to provide a credible alternative.

He emphasized, “What we are going through as a nation is not what we voted for. The people are suffering, and things are deteriorating by the day. It is our duty as a party to rescue this nation by ensuring that Tinubu does not return in 2027.”

The chairman's comments came just days after the Supreme Court upheld the candidacy of Senator Monday Okpebholo as the All Progressives Congress (APC) flag bearer in the September 2024 Edo governorship election. This ruling has been viewed as a political blow to the PDP in the state and has triggered fresh calls for introspection and strategy within the party.

Adding to the atmosphere of urgency and concern, Barrister Jimoh Ijegbai, a prominent PDP leader and former commissioner under Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration, raised alarms over the deep divisions within the party. While acknowledging the passion in Aziegbemi’s speech, Ijegbai cautioned that without resolving internal conflicts, the PDP may find itself unprepared to challenge Tinubu or the APC in any meaningful way.

He asked a piercing question: “What political vehicle do we currently have to challenge a sitting President? The PDP, as it stands today, is fragmented and at war with itself. That is the uncomfortable truth we must face.”

Ijegbai pointed out that the factional crisis plaguing the party has already started to manifest in conflicting nominations for upcoming by-elections in Edo Central and Edo South. According to him, separate factions are fielding their own candidates, signaling the likelihood of fresh rounds of litigation that may stretch all the way to the Supreme Court once again.

He implored PDP leaders to confront the cracks within their ranks before talking about national ambitions. “We cannot keep deceiving ourselves that we have a unified structure. A house divided cannot stand. Until we begin honest conversations and collective decision-making, we are heading nowhere fast.”

The former commissioner also cautioned against waiting endlessly for the party’s national convention to resolve lingering issues. He expressed skepticism over the convention’s ability to bring about any meaningful change unless the grassroots realities are first addressed.

Party faithful present at the meeting expressed mixed emotions. While some were energized by the rallying call to action, others voiced concern about the growing lack of cohesion and the persistent factionalism tearing the party apart both at the state and national levels.

As Nigeria inches toward another general election cycle, the stakes for opposition parties like the PDP have never been higher. For Edo PDP, the road to 2027 now features two urgent fronts: rebuilding a fractured party and preparing to take on a sitting President with a formidable political machine.

Whether the party can reconcile its differences in time to mount a serious national challenge remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that the clock is ticking, and the battles, both internal and external, are already underway.