The National Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the South-South region, Emmanuel Ogidi, has expressed optimism that governors and other members who recently defected from the party will soon return.
Speaking on Arise Television’s morning news programme on Wednesday, Ogidi dismissed speculations of internal crisis tearing the PDP apart, saying the party remains “organised, resilient and capable of resolving its own issues.”
“There was a group planning to disrupt the convention when they met in Abuja and gave some conditions, but PDP is an organised party for God’s sake. You can’t just come out and call yourself stakeholders,” Ogidi said.
He insisted that the PDP’s leadership structures, including the National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Committee (NEC), are fully in charge of preparations for the forthcoming national convention.
While reacting to concerns over members leaving the party, Ogidi accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of exploiting the current economic hardship to lure some individuals away from the PDP.
According to him, “The APC has weaponised hunger, and some of our members are reacting to that. But we all know why they are going, and we strongly believe they’ll come back.”
Ogidi also cautioned some governors and lawmakers within the PDP against what he described as “impatience,” stressing that the party’s national convention will hold as scheduled.
“Some of these governors or senators don’t have patience. The convention is just weeks away. Why are they thinking it won’t hold? We are in court, but that’s no reason to panic. If you’ve done the right thing, the court will give you justice,” he stated.
He further assured that the PDP was following due process and expressed confidence that the upcoming national convention would go ahead as planned, despite attempts by some groups to undermine it.
Ogidi reiterated that the PDP, which has been Nigeria’s main opposition party since 2015, remains committed to internal democracy and unity among its members, adding that the ongoing challenges were “part of the natural evolution of a big political family.”
