Politics
Defections: Only Undertakers Remaining In PDP — APC
The APC spokesman, Mr Seye Oladejo, in a statement on Saturday in Lagos, said this while reacting to the recent defection of some PDP leaders to the APC.
Mr Oladejo urged the former ruling party to stop downplaying “the wave of defections currently rocking its already fractured structure”.
He said: “The PDP’s claim that defections cannot break it is not only laughable but also betrays the party’s chronic state of denial, delusion and self-deception.
“What is happening to the PDP today is not mere political migration, it is the inevitable consequence of years of internal deceit, lack of ideology, and serial betrayal among its leaders.
“When a house is built on quicksand, it does not take much for it to collapse.
“The ongoing exodus from the PDP is only a confirmation that even its loyalists have lost faith in a party that has consistently failed to reform itself or offer a credible alternative to Nigerians.
“The few remaining members of the PDP are perhaps the undertakers – staying behind only to perform the final rites and fittingly dispose of what remains of a once-dominant but now lifeless political carcass.”
According to him, the APC is not surprised at the wave of defections from the PDP as the opposition party has only thrived on propaganda and empty rhetoric.
He claimed that the former ruling party had mismanaged the nation for 16 years before the coming of the APC.
Mr Oladejo said that PDP could not suddenly reinvent itself as a credible opposition “when it remains a cesspool of confusion and leadership vacuum”.
“The recent defection of key figures from the PDP to the APC is a testament to the growing confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“It will serve the PDP’s best interest to start learning to walk alone on the dark, bumpy road to 2027.
“The party is obviously over for the former ‘largest party in Africa,’ and the sooner it confronts that reality, the less humiliating its final exit will be,” he added.
According to him, PDP should look inward, conduct an honest post-mortem of its failures, and come to terms with the reality that its relevance in Nigeria’s political space has drastically waned.
“The opposition cannot claim to be unshaken when its members are fleeing in droves to a party that represents progress, stability, and genuine leadership.
“For the APC, these defections are not just political victories – they are endorsements of our party’s enduring commitment to national renewal and people-centred governance.
“The Nigerian people are speaking loudly and the message is clear: the era of deceitful opposition politics is over,” Mr Oladejo said.
Recall that a number of PDP governors and members of the House of Assembly, as well as other key figures, recently dumped the party for the APC.
Last Thursday, two remaining PDP members in the Ondo State House of Assembly defected to APC, citing internal crisis in the opposition party.
They are former House Minority Leader, Mr Olajide Oguntodu, representing Akure South 1 Constituency, and his deputy, Mr Oluwatoyin Daodu, representing Akoko South West 1 Constituency.
The Tide source reports that Prof. Akinoso was elected alongside 38 other executive members of the party at the congress held on Saturday.
Other executive members are Dr Abiola Olaonipekun, who emerged as Secretary, Alhaja Latifah Latifu, Women Leader and Mr A. Adeleke, elected as Youth Leader.
It was learnt that the congress, which took place at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Oke Ado in Ibadan, was attended by representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Police, other security agencies and prominent members of the party.
The election was supervised by electoral committee members, among whom were Prince Diran Odeyemi, who served as Chairman, Hon. Awoniyi Tolulope, Mr Babatunde Gbadamosi, Queen Stepheine Oyechere, Alhaji Yusuf Abidakun, Mr Olumide Aguda and Dr Phillips Adeniyi, who served as Secretary.
Prof. Akinoso, in his inaugural address, urged members of the party to set aside intra-party differences.
He advised them to concentrate their resources on the promotion of the party, saying, “The primary responsibilities of party executive members are to coordinate party activities, ensure harmony among members, and ensure party victory during general elections.
“Our immediate assignments are to key into INEC released 2027 general election time-tables. As directed by the National Caretaker Committee of PDP, our party e-membership registration starts next week. We must be fully involved and do a membership drive.
“A political party is only relevant and benefits its members if it wins the election. This is our goal. We should set aside intra-party differences; concentrate our resources towards the promotion of the party. We will make necessary consultations and dialogue to actualise this”.
President Tinubu disclosed this during an interfaith breaking of fast with senior journalists and media executives at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Saturday.
He also disclosed that his administration had opened up on the principles of true federalism to the extent that local governments now get direct allocation from the Federal Government.
“There’s no morning that I ever leave my house without going through the newspapers. It’s an addiction. I read all of you.
“It might not be in full detail, but headline, the one that would hit me and the ones that won’t.
“At the beginning of this administration, I was just a little bit stubborn, looking at opportunities to correct things and make life more easier for the downtrodden.
“We’ve opened up the principle of federalism to the extent that local governments are now getting their money, but how they use it is in your hands. So, don’t bombard me alone,” President Tinubu said.
The ruling party said the ADC had turned criticism of the APC-led administration into its operating manifesto instead of presenting concrete solutions to Nigeria’s economic challenges.
In a statement issued on Saturday by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mr Felix Morka, the party dismissed the ADC’s interpretation of a report presented at a policy dialogue organised by Agora Policy which suggested that the country’s poverty rate had risen from 49 per cent to 63 per cent.
Mr Morka said the opposition party’s reaction to the report as a “damning verdict” on the government’s economic policies reflected either ignorance of economic realities or deliberate political mischief.
“The African Democratic Congress’ attempt to spin a recent report presented at the Agora Policy dialogue indicating a rise of poverty rate of 63 per cent from 49 per cent as a damning verdict on this administration’s economic policies speaks either to its shocking ignorance of economic policy or its wilful blindness to the justification for, and transformative impacts of, ongoing economic reforms,” he said.
The APC spokesman noted that the report itself recognised the necessity of reforms aimed at correcting long-standing structural distortions in the economy.
According to him, the ADC had failed to present any credible alternative policy direction for Nigerians.
“Clearly, the ADC does not recognise itself as a political party. The ADC has not articulated a single alternative policy position or prescription of benefit to Nigerians. Condemning the APC and its policies has become its operating manifesto,” Mr Morka said.
He explained that major economic decisions taken by President Bola Tinubu, including the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of multiple foreign exchange windows, were necessary steps to rescue the country’s economy from collapse.
Mr Morka said the subsidy regime had for years placed a heavy burden on public finances, consuming trillions of naira annually while encouraging corruption, fuel smuggling and inefficiencies in the system.
He added that the reforms had helped redirect national resources to key sectors such as infrastructure, healthcare, education and social development.
The APC spokesman acknowledged that economic reforms often come with short-term hardship but stressed that the measures were essential to build a stronger and more resilient economy.
“Economic reform is never cost-free anywhere in the world. The transient hardship experienced by Nigerians was an inevitable cost of reforms meant to build and guarantee a better future for all Nigerians,” he said.
Mr Morka maintained that the country’s economic outlook was already improving, citing recent growth figures and stronger external reserves.
“Our economy has rebounded and is expanding steadily. The country’s Gross Domestic Product grew by 4.4 per cent last year and is projected to expand by 5.5 per cent this fiscal year, with foreign reserves now exceeding $50 billion,” he stated.
He also pointed to government initiatives designed to cushion the effects of economic adjustments on citizens, including cash transfer programmes, student loan schemes and the rollout of compressed natural gas (CNG) initiatives to reduce transportation costs.
Mr Morka reaffirmed that the APC-led administration would remain focused on rebuilding the economy and expanding social investments to support vulnerable Nigerians.