Stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo state have lamented that the party’s internal crisis may jeopardise its chances of unseating President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election.
The concerns were raised on Monday at a meeting of party leaders from the 18 local government areas, presided over by the state chairman, Tony Aziegbemi.
Aziegbemi said the party fought hard in court to reclaim its mandate but was ultimately denied victory.
He praised members for remaining steadfast despite setbacks but urged them to focus on the bigger battle ahead.
“The next thing is, how do we get Tinubu out in 2027? We cannot continue with the way things are being run in the country,” he said.
However, a former commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs, Jimoh Ijegbai, cautioned against what he described as political self-deception.
His words: “If you are saying we should remove Tinubu from office, which vehicle are we going to use?
“If we are going to continue, we must know where we belong in the PDP that is divided. Unless we do that, we will be deceiving ourselves.”
Another stakeholder, Alberta Okonofua, said the PDP must resolve its internal divisions before attempting to challenge the APC.
Her words: “If we don’t put our house properly, I don’t know how we are going to oust him (Tinubu).
“The party has two factions in Edo, which makes the task of unseating Tinubu difficult.”
Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, former campaign director-general for the Asue Ighodalo Campaign Organisation, said the PDP must reassess its structure to remain competitive.
He said: “We cannot continue like this. Mr Chairman, if we must solve PDP’s problem, it must be solved from the national.
“If Asue’s votes didn’t count, I don’t see any election that will count. The PDP we have today does not have the capacity to stand in opposition to the APC.”
Iduoriyekemwen also ruled out the party’s chances in next month’s by-election in Edo state.
