The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), once the undisputed giant of Nigerian politics, faces a severe threat of extinction ahead of the general election scheduled for January. Founded in 1998, the party assumed power after the end of military rule in 1999 and maintained control of the presidency and a vast majority of Nigeria’s 36 states for 16 years.
The party’s downward trajectory began with a seismic shock at the 2015 federal election. According to coverage from aol.com, the PDP lost the presidential vote to Muhammadu Buhari and the newly formed All Progressives Congress (APC), a coalition of opposition parties and disgruntled former members. Goodluck Jonathan subsequently handed power over to Buhari, thrusting national party leaders accustomed to federal dominance into unfamiliar opposition territory.
Political analyst Ishaq Buhari noted via aol.com that party figures “were a party that was so used to power, being in opposition was a new challenge they struggled with from the start.”
Defections and Leadership Collapse
While 2015 dealt a major blow, 2025 left the party’s foundations in ruins amid a dizzying wave of defections and internal conflicts. At the start of 2025, the PDP still held eight states. By December, five state governors—representing Delta, Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Bayelsa, and Rivers—switched allegiance to the ruling APC, citing declining viability and a desire for better cooperation with the federal government.
By early 2026, the party’s state control dropped to zero after the Oyo governorship slipped from its hands last month. High-profile departures further depleted the party’s talent pool, including the exit of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar in 2025.
A debilitating leadership tussle intensified the institutional crisis. In November 2025, a faction representing a majority of members held a contentious national convention in Ibadan, Oyo state, despite court orders attempting to halt it. That convention expelled Nyesom Wike, a prominent member who helped found the party and is currently serving in President Bola Tinubu’s APC-led government. Wike had controversially helped the APC win Rivers state during the last presidential election, drawing accusations of betrayal from party loyalists.
Legal Status and the Ballot Box
Despite internal opposition, the faction headed by Nyesom Wike is recognized as the legitimate party in the eyes of the law, according to reporting by aol.com. This legal standing allowed Wike’s faction to submit a full slate of presidential and parliamentary candidates to the electoral commission.
Consequently, the rival faction has been left without any official representatives on the ballot for January’s general election, bringing the party’s institutional viability into question as voters prepare to head to the polls.
