The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dismissed concerns over the defection of Governor Peter Mbah to the All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting the party remains alive and rooted in the people.
Speaking on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’ hours after Mbah’s announcement, PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said the party is facing challenges but is far from collapse.
“The PDP is not in coma, it’s not in a vegetative state,” Ologunagba declared. “Yes, we have challenges, some of which are external. More damaging are the ones within, but again, we are working that rope surely towards convention.”
Governor Mbah, alongside members of his cabinet, formally joined the APC on Tuesday, becoming the third PDP governor to defect this year. His move follows similar exits by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State in April and Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom in June. Both cited internal crises within the PDP and the need to align their states with the Federal Capital Territory as reasons for their departure.
But Ologunagba downplayed the impact of these defections, arguing that the PDP’s strength lies not in its governors but in its grassroots support.
“Our strength is in the people, not in the governors,” he said. “What we see today, people are not defecting because of policies, programmes or ideology. People are defecting because of personal interest, inducement, intimidation and coercion.”
He accused the APC of orchestrating the defections to destabilise the opposition ahead of the PDP’s national convention scheduled for November in Ibadan.
“The gale of defections is not organic,” he said. “It’s a calculated move by the APC to weaken the PDP and create a one-party state.”
Despite the setbacks, Ologunagba expressed confidence in the PDP’s resilience and its prospects for the 2027 general election.
“With or without governors, the strength of the PDP will come to the fore in 2027,” he concluded.
