Daily lens Report
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the planned defection of Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah to the All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing the ruling party of employing intimidation, harassment, and financial inducement to lure its governors and lawmakers.
Reacting to the development, which is scheduled for Tuesday next week, and to rumours that Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri may also defect, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said the APC was resorting to coercion because it had lost the confidence of Nigerians.
> “The APC is not only intimidating and harassing our members but also inducing them with money,” Ologunagba stated.
“No amount of defection will determine the outcome of the 2027 general elections. Nigerians who are feeling the heat of the current economic hardship are not defecting to any party.”
He dismissed concerns over the defections, insisting that they were “induced by coercion, intimidation, and harassment,” and emphasized that Nigerians were more focused on the economic hardship and insecurity affecting their daily lives.
> “The 2027 elections will not be about decamping,” he continued. “It is about people whose children go to bed without dinner, those who go to hospitals and cannot pay their bills. The present government is not responsive or responsible to the Nigerian people. They look down on citizens as if they are too small to matter.”
Ologunagba further argued that while the APC may boast of defections, the real movement of Nigerians is toward relief and hope, values which he said the PDP represents.
> “Nigerians aren’t decamping from hunger to another party. If they are seeking relief, they’ll find a home in the PDP, which stands for prosperity and hope,” he said.
“We’re not engaging in sloganeering—our record of performance speaks for us.”
He also accused the APC of being “jittery” ahead of the PDP’s national convention slated for November, saying the ruling party was afraid of a more united opposition.
> “They’re jittery because they know that the only way they can survive is if the PDP is divided. But too bad for them—we’re together,” he asserted.
Ologunagba stressed that while no party enjoys losing members, the PDP’s strength lies in its connection with ordinary Nigerians.
> “Our party’s power does not rest in individuals or cliques,” he said. “It is rooted in the people. That’s why we are the People’s Democratic Party. The other party, the All Progressives Congress, takes care of themselves. We take care of the people—and that distinction will define 2027. These APC people we see today, we shall see them no more.”
Meanwhile, Oyo State Deputy Governor, Dr. Adebayo Lawal, who serves as Chairman of the Venue Sub-Committee for the upcoming convention, told journalists that preparations were in top gear to make the Ibadan convention a success.
> “After the November convention, the PDP will emerge more united and formidable, ready to reclaim victory at the presidential and governorship elections in 2027,” Lawal assured.
