Coalition: PDP Governors’ Hold On Party Leadership Unconstitutional — Party Chieftain
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Director-General of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Ladan Salihu, has described the current posture of the PDP Governors’ Forum as ‘unconstitutional’ and a potential threat to the party’s internal democracy.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Thursday edition of The Morning Brief, Salihu criticised the outcome of the Monday PDP Governors’ Forum meeting held in Ibadan, Oyo State, noting that the forum had overstepped its bounds.
“The PDP has a pedigree and history guided by its constitution, just like any country operates under the rule of law,” he said. “What we saw with the outcome of the governors’ meeting in Ibadan was a misstep. It appears to me that the Governors’ Forum has taken over the powers of the National Executive Committee (NEC), and that is unconstitutional.”
The PDP stalwart maintained that nowhere in the party’s constitution does it grant the Governors’ Forum authority to dictate party leadership or decisions.
“To assume that a forum within the party can come up, organise a national convention, create committees with chairmen and members from within itself, and assume full control of the party structure — that is overriding and unconstitutional,” he asserted.
The chieftain further questioned the absence of the NEC and National Working Committee (NWC) members at the meeting, describing the forum’s actions as exclusionary and a breach of the party’s democratic ethos.
“Everything I have seen in the actions of the Governors’ Forum is an abuse of the constitutionality of the PDP,” he said.
“If this trend continues, it would be as though we are a party that shoots first and aims later. We end up in blame games when we lose, instead of taking timely and strategic decisions. The governors must not be dictatorial,” the former FRCN DG added.
On coalition talks ahead of the 2027 elections, Salihu stated that a united front among opposition parties was the only viable route to unseat President Bola Tinubu.
“We all agreed during our meeting with Atiku and others that we should go into a coalition with other political parties to democratically rescue power from the APC. Coming together is strategic, helpful, and will generate the numbers necessary to succeed,” he revealed.
The chieftain warned that failing to consolidate opposition forces would hand President Tinubu an easy return in 2027.
“From where we stand today, there’s no way the PDP alone can secure victory. If we don’t collaborate and bring all stakeholders under one umbrella, Tinubu will return,” he warned.
