PDP Takes Position on Tinubu’s 2027 Bid

The Taminu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared that it will not support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, insisting that the party must remain focused on challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at the polls.

The faction made its position known while responding to comments attributed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, who reportedly urged PDP candidates to abandon their individual political structures and support Tinubu’s second-term ambition.

In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the faction’s Interim National Working Committee, Ini Ememobong, the group rejected the proposal and questioned the loyalty of those within the opposition who were advocating support for the president.

According to the faction, Wike’s call was not directed at genuine PDP members but at individuals it accused of maintaining an opposition identity while supporting the governing party.

“The news credited to Minister Nyesom Wike 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 statement said.

The faction added that the minister’s appeal was intended for “persons who, like him, are pretenders in the opposition but are working for the governing party.”

It maintained that supporting Tinubu’s re-election would contradict the PDP’s responsibility as an opposition party, arguing that the party should offer Nigerians a credible alternative to the policies and leadership of the APC-led Federal Government.

“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,” it stated.

The statement further stressed that an opposition party should not use its political influence to strengthen the government it is expected to challenge.

Instead, it should present alternative policies, mobilise voters and compete for political power through democratic elections.

“The paramount duty of the opposition is to provide an alternative to the incumbent, not to massage their ego,” the statement added.

The Turaki-led group also argued that any political arrangement involving opposition parties should be designed to strengthen their collective ability to challenge the ruling party, rather than secure an advantage for the incumbent president.

“If at all opposition parties are to have an alliance, it will be amongst themselves, not with the governing party,” it said.

The faction also took aim at what it described as a “rainbow coalition” involving opposition politicians and the ruling party.

It warned that political cooperation built around the interests of powerful individuals, rather than a genuine contest for power, could weaken Nigeria’s democratic system.

“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,” the statement said.

The group argued that democracy depends on the existence of competing political parties capable of challenging those in government.

It maintained that allowing opposition figures to rally behind the incumbent president could reduce the choices available to voters and weaken accountability.

The faction also urged Nigerians to reject what it called elite accommodation and state capture disguised as broad-based political collaboration.

It said the forthcoming election would give voters an opportunity to determine whether the current political leadership should remain in office.

“Nigerians should be wary of elite accommodation and state capture masquerading as broad-based political collaboration,” the statement added.

“The election next year provides a great opportunity to vote out these insensitive and irresponsible political actors.”

In April 2026, the Supreme Court invalidated the PDP national convention held in Ibadan in November 2025, which produced the Turaki-led leadership.

The ruling further complicated the struggle over the party’s leadership and its preparations for the 2027 elections.

In July, the Federal High Court in Abuja also dismissed a suit seeking recognition for the Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee, dealing another setback to the faction’s efforts to secure official recognition.

Despite these challenges, the Turaki-led group has continued to present itself as committed to challenging the ruling party.

The faction called on its supporters to remain committed to the party and await further developments in the leadership dispute.

It expressed confidence that its position would ultimately prevail, while insisting that the judiciary has an important role in resolving the disagreements.