Amidst concerns about the wave of defections impacting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party’s chieftain, Segun Sowunmi, has strongly asserted that the party is well-equipped to survive these challenges.
Speaking in an interview with Vanguard, Sowunmi downplayed the significance of members leaving the PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He questioned the panic surrounding their movements, saying, “Why would PDP not survive.”
He argued that within any single party, there are a limited number of coveted positions, such as the Presidency or state governorships.
He asked rhetorically if all individuals aspiring for these roles could realistically obtain tickets under one party, like the APC.
The PDP chieftain explained that while some members are defecting, movements are occurring in multiple directions, with some politicians also joining the PDP or other parties.
He said, “Why will the PDP not survive? Every position they want to contest has a few offices. The presidency of Nigeria is only one ticket in a party. So all the people that want to be president, can they contest president under APC? The answer is no. In the 36 states, there’s only one gubernatorial ticket. All the people that want to be governor in all the 36 states in the country, can they get a ticket under APC? The answer is no.
“So, I think those who are decamping to the APC are decamping and those who are also decamping to the PDP are decamping and to other parties.”
He cautioned against premature political analysis, noting that the next general election is still years away.
“It’s too early in the day for anybody to be saying this person cannot go, this person will go.”
Sowunmi expressed confidence in the PDP’s foundational strength, pointing out that the party’s functional structures at the state and local government levels are intact.
“I think the PDP will survive definitely because there are enough people who will be looking to contest under the platform and I think if you are fair to PDP, the party has done well at his state levels, almost all the state structures are in place. The party has also done well at local government level, almost all the local government structures are intact,” he said.
He also dismissed the notion that a governor holds sway over all votes in a state.
