A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Segun Sowunmi, has strongly expressed optimism that the party is well-equipped to survive the gale of defection plaguing it.
This was as he downplayed the significance of members leaving the PDP for the All Progressives Congress, APC, and questioned the panic surrounding their movements, saying, “Why would PDP not survive.”
According to him, within any single party, there are a limited number of coveted positions, such as the Presidency or state governorships.
He further pointed out that while some members are defecting, movements are occurring in multiple directions, with some politicians also joining the PDP or other parties.
“Why will the PDP not survive? Every position they want to contest has a few offices. The presidency of Nigeria is only one ticket in a party. So all the people that want to be president, can they contest for president under APC? The answer is no. In the 36 states, there’s only one gubernatorial ticket. All the people that want to be governor in all the 36 states in the country, can they get a ticket under APC? The answer is no.
“So, I think those who are decamping to the APC are decamping and those who are also decamping to the PDP are decamping and to other parties,” he said.
Sowunmi issued a stern warning against premature political analysis, noting that the next general election is not close.
“It’s too early in the day for anybody to be saying this person cannot go, this person will go,” he added.
The party chieftain said he was confident in the PDP’s foundational strength, noting that the party’s functional structures at the state and local government levels are intact.
