Jonathan: Despite Many Defections to Ruling APC, PDP Alive and Strong

• Party blasts APC over Wike on Rivers crisis, says it can’t cry foul now

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said he feels a great sense of satisfaction knowing that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is still alive, strong, and resilient, despite defections from the party to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Jonathan reaffirmed that PDP remained a fundamental pillar of Nigeria’s democracy, being the only surviving one among the legacy political parties since 1998.

The former president made the remarks while receiving members of PDP National Working Committee (NWC), led by National Chairman, Dr. Kabiru Turaki, SAN, during a high-level consultative meeting held at his private office in Abuja, yesterday.

The meeting focused on the party’s reconciliation process and strategic repositioning ahead of the 2027 general election.

Jonathan stated that PDP possessed the historical resilience and institutional strength required to overcome its current internal challenges, describing the party as more than a political platform, but a national institution.

He stated, “The PDP, being the only surviving original political party since 1998, has been a critical contributor to our democracy since 1999. I have been a beneficiary of this party, which gave me the opportunity to serve as Deputy Governor, Governor, Vice President, and President.

“I am grateful to the party and will continue to contribute my quota because I feel deeply indebted to it.”

Jonathan urged the party’s leadership to place national interest and institutional development above personal considerations, stressing that strong political parties are essential to democratic stability.

Earlier, Turaki thanked Jonathan for his fatherly counsel and unwavering loyalty to PDP. He assured the former Nigerian leader that the current leadership of PDP was committed to a comprehensive “Rebirth Agenda” aimed at rebuilding and strengthening the party.

Turaki said, “We came to seek your guidance and to brief you on the prospects and challenges before the party. Our goal is to return power to the people and reposition the PDP as the party of the majority of Nigerians.

“We are reaching out to aggrieved members because a united PDP remains the most viable platform for a balanced and prosperous Nigeria.”

Members of the delegation included Dr. Mu’azu Aliyu, Professor Jerry Gana, Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi, Hajiya Zainab Maina, Chief Mike Oghiadome, Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, and other members of the NWC.

Explaining why the party leaders visited Jonathan, during a media briefing, Turaki said, “We came this evening to visit one of our very important leaders, former President of Nigeria, President Ebele Jonathan, GCFR PhD.

“First, to introduce members of the newly elected National Working Committee to him, and then to tell him what we’ve been doing since our election in the National Convention that was held last November in Ibadan.

“We’ve briefed him on the state of the party, the challenges, the prospects, and in this visit, we are accompanied by former governors, members of the Board of Trustees, founding fathers and founding mothers, Forum of State Chairmen, in addition to other leaders of the party that also includes former ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“We have solicited, as usual, for his support, for his guidance, for his advice, as always. And we have his assurance that he’s still a card-carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party, he’s still active, and will even be more active these days in the activities and affairs of the Peoples Democratic Party.

“And he has assured us that PDP has done everything for him that can be done to an individual, and that he still feels that he remains obligated to PDP.

“And his remarks and statements are not only reassuring, but, indeed, they are very, very encouraging as we begin to prepare for elections, off-season elections in Ekiti and Osun this year and 2027 general election.”

Asked if Jonathan was worried that the legal battles and other issues confronting the party would affect the upcoming elections in Ekiti and Osun states, Turaki stated, “I did say that we informed him about the prospects and challenges and part of the challenges are the legal battles that we are facing and as a senior lawyer, I have been able also to explain to him the nitty-gritty of the matters that we are doing at the Court of Appeal and the prospects, as far as the party is concerned, and he is duly informed, and notwithstanding that, he still believes, just like all of us do, that PDP is the party for Nigerians.”

On the recognition of PDP candidates by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the coming polls, Turaki questioned the independence of the commission, adding that INEC, which earlier gave PDP the password to access its portal, later blocked them from accessing the platform and uploading data.

PDP Blasts APC over Wike on Rivers Crisis, Says It Can’t Cry Foul Now

PDP said APC had no moral justification to complain about the conduct of  Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, insisting that the ruling party must manage the political consequences of its own actions in Rivers State.

According to PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, “This is what happens when you keep feeding a monster. One day, you become food in the belly of that monster.

“Some people keep feeding the monster, thinking they will always escape, believing they will always have enough food to offer it. They forget that one day the monster may get tired of the food being fed to it and ask, instead, ‘what would this person taste like?’ And then, they end up in the belly of the monster.”

The PDP national publicity secretary said Wike was no longer a member of the party. He accused APC of knowingly engaging the FCT minister for political advantage, only to raise objections now that the relationship had become problematic.

The party’s position was stated yesterday in Abuja, in comments by Ememobong, while reacting to a recent public spat between Wike and APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, over political developments in Rivers State.

The PDP spokesman said, “The national secretary of the APC may genuinely not know who is or is not a member of the PDP, and may, therefore, be relying on outdated information suggesting that Wike was a PDP member.

“Wike was expelled from the PDP, along with his supporters, and that is why we sympathise with the problem the APC has brought upon itself by engaging Wike; someone they now lack the moral or legal standing to disown.

“The law does not allow you to benefit from a wrong you created, nor can you complain of a voluntary injury. You cannot complain about an act you willingly undertook.

“So they should manage the situation they have created. After all, what was once seen as an asset has now become a liability, and they must deal with it.”

Ememobong rejected attempts to draw PDP into the controversy, stating that the conduct now being criticised was previously applauded when it appeared to serve APC’s interests.

He stated, “As for his (Basiru’s) comments, he should not drag the PDP into this. It is the same conduct he is now complaining about. When he was engaging in this conduct in a way that favoured the APC, they were jubilating and laughing. This same National Secretary did not complain even once.

“I have looked closely at his (Basiru’s) so-called activist credentials. We must be able to look at issues beyond partisan lines. When something is wrong, it is wrong.

“As a citizen, and as the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, if someone engages in anti-party activity or aligns with another party, I will call that person out. I will say clearly: this does not look good. Either leave that party and join us, or remain independent and support us openly.”