…As Osun endorses Tinubu
The Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), is facing escalating internal tensions as it seeks to reposition itself ahead of the 2027 general elections. On one hand, the party leadership is cracking down on members with dual political loyalties; on the other, it has formally zoned its presidential ticket to the South.
However, the party’s internal contradictions deepened further when its Osun State chapter, including Governor Ademola Adeleke, declared support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election – sparking widespread confusion and condemnation.
Speaking at the Consultative Conference of PDP Founding Fathers and Stakeholders in Abuja yesterday, Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, delivered a firm message: “You cannot be in PDP and in coalition with another party. If you are going, don’t market us”.
Damagum called on party members playing a “double game” to either recommit fully to the PDP or leave. He emphasized that the party, founded on democratic values and national unity, can no longer afford disloyalty in its ranks. “We are open to those who genuinely wish to return. But you can’t belong to two parties at once. You are either with us or you’re not”, he stated.
Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, backed Damagum’s call for ideological clarity and discipline. “Why would anyone leave PDP – a party with structures and legacy – for parties with no national footprint?” he asked.
Former Senate President Bukola Saraki also urged members to stay and rebuild. “Leaving PDP should not be an option. The option is fairness and collective reform”, he said.
Amid the high-level meeting, the PDP took a significant step by zoning its 2027 presidential ticket to the South. Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, confirmed: “The PDP has opened the presidential ticket to all eligible southerners”. The decision is expected to shape the party’s national convention planning and candidate emergence. Osadolor described the move as part of a broader rebuilding effort.
Meanwhile, the PDP NEC, BoT, and caucus are meeting this week to ratify congresses and solidify zoning arrangements. The Consultative Conference of PDP Founding Fathers and Stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to restoring the party’s founding vision. They pledged to steer the party back to its roots of inclusiveness, unity, and democratic ideals.
However, internal disputes continue to simmer, particularly in the South-East, where the chapter has disowned Chief Ali Odefa as the National Vice-Chairman. Egwu Chidiebere Goodluck was reaffirmed as the valid officeholder through two separate court rulings, which the party has been warned not to violate. “The Damagum-led PDP cannot treat valid court judgments with ridicule”, said Seprebofa Oyeghe, speaking on behalf of the South-East PDP Stakeholders.
In a move that stunned many within the PDP, Governor Ademola Adeleke and the Osun State PDP formally endorsed President Bola Tinubu—of the rival APC—for a second term in 2027.
A communiqué from a stakeholders’ meeting at Government House in Osogbo justified the endorsement on cultural and local considerations, noting Tinubu as “a son of Osun State.” It also reaffirmed Adeleke’s own 2026 re-election bid under the PDP banner.
The statement, signed by Adeleke, Deputy Governor Kola Adewusi, Speaker Adewale Egbedun, and 24 others, described the move as driven by “grassroots sentiment”, and insisted the PDP remains dominant in Osun. However, the endorsement has raised eyebrows nationally, coming just as the PDP leadership is warning against dual loyalties.
Observers see the mixed signals—warnings against coalition politics and open endorsement of an APC president—as signs of deep contradictions and a party still grappling with internal realignment.
