The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected calls for its candidates to abandon their political structures and support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, accusing Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike of promoting a political arrangement that threatens Nigeria’s electoral democracy.
The party said the proposed “rainbow coalition” was an attempt to weaken opposition politics and entrench the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), warning that alliances between opposition figures and the governing party could undermine the country’s democratic process.
The PDP’s position followed reports that Wike had urged PDP candidates to collapse their political structures in support of Tinubu’s second-term ambition.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, described the appeal as nothing new, arguing that it was directed at individuals who merely presented themselves as opposition members while allegedly working for the ruling 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,” Ememobong said.
He maintained that the primary responsibility of an opposition party was to offer Nigerians an alternative to the government in power rather than support its political ambitions.
“The paramount duty of the opposition is to provide an alternative to the incumbent, not to massage their ego,” he stated.
The party further argued that any meaningful political alliance should bring opposition parties together rather than facilitate cooperation with the ruling party.
It described the rainbow coalition associated with Wike as a dangerous political development capable of weakening electoral competition and concentrating political power.
“If at all opposition parties are to have an alliance, it will be amongst themselves, not with the governing party,” the statement said.
The PDP warned that the arrangement could become “the greatest threat to electoral democracy and the fastest way of railroading the country into an electoral monarchy.”
Amid the deepening dispute over the party’s direction, the PDP leadership also urged its members to remain committed to the party while awaiting a judicial decision on its internal leadership crisis.
Ememobong disclosed that the party’s case before the Court of Appeal had been heard and that it was awaiting judgment, expressing optimism that the outcome would restore the party to what it described as its rightful owners.
“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,” he said.
The party also called on the judiciary to resolve the dispute without unnecessary delay, stressing that prolonged uncertainty could further complicate its political future ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Looking beyond its internal crisis, the PDP urged Nigerians to resist what it described as elite accommodation and state capture disguised as broad-based political collaboration.
It said the next general election would provide voters with an opportunity to reject political actors whose actions it considers contrary to the public interest.
“The election next year provides a great opportunity to vote out these insensitive and irresponsible political actors,” Ememobong added.
