Tajudeen Yusuf, a former member of the House of Representatives, believes that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is facing a crisis due to various factors, including the failure of some party leaders to prioritize party unity over their own political ambitions.
Yusuf suggests that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who has been the PDP’s presidential candidate in the last two election cycles, should step aside and allow the party to revert to its original zoning formula, which Yusuf believes would promote peace within the party.
Yusuf stated on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily program on Thursday, “If I have my way, I will advise former Vice President Atiku, leave PDP ticket, let it go to the South even if we don’t win presidential election, we would have been seen as going back to our original modus operandi where party positions are zoned.”
He added, “Look at the South-South and the South-East, which have been reasonably the bedrock of the PDP. You just come and pick a ticket, people will start losing hope because the desire of everybody is to get to the peak of their career.”
“If they now realise that because of the number that comes from one particular section in a primary election, they cannot get the ticket, they get frustrated,” he said.
The PDP has been dealing with internal crises since the 2023 general election, with several high-ranking members, including governors and National Assembly members, defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The latest to defect are Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, his deputy Monday Onyeme, his predecessor Ifeanyi Okowa, and other top PDP members in the state, who joined the APC on Wednesday.
Yusuf, who represented the Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, described the PDP’s crisis as self-inflicted.
He accused the party’s governors of deliberately allowing the situation to continue in order to justify their defection to other political parties.
