Saraki: More high-profile defections will hit PDP — but grassroots still loyal

Bukola Saraki, former senate president and chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) reconciliation and convention committee, says recent defections from the party are driven by the elite.

Saraki spoke on Friday during an interview with ‘Prime Time’, a programme on Arise TV.

The former Kwara governor said while the party is navigating a turbulent period, its base remains strong and committed.

“When you go round the country, the state chapters, the local government chapters, the party is still very strong in the grassroots,” he said.

“In some areas in the country, they are not even aware of what is happening at our level, in Abuja.

“The reactions we are seeing at the grassroots give us a lot of encouragement. But what we need to do is to get to the bottom, and start to build.”

‘WORST OF DEFECTIONS YET TO COME’

Saraki, however, warned that more high-profile exits may occur if the party does not urgently resolve its internal crisis, especially the lingering dispute over the rightful occupant of the position of national secretary.

“PDP would likely see one or two more defections, and we should prepare ourselves for that, there is a possibility,” he said.

“We haven’t seen the worst of the defections for PDP. We would probably see maybe one or two governors who will defect, and we might see some senators who will defect.

“For some of us, this happening early in PDP is an advantage. We are lucky that this is not happening, let’s say late 2026, we would not even have had time to recover and regroup.

“We have just under two years to election, and we are lucky to have that. I think, with a lot of commitment and understanding, it is not a lost cause.

“A party of over 26 years of history, that has been around, the largest party, we will definitely have low times like this.”

He described the unresolved secretaryship dispute as the major obstacle preventing the PDP from convening a proper national executive committee (NEC) meeting or organising a credible national convention.

Saraki confirmed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognises Samuel Anyanwu as the legitimate PDP secretary, based on a supreme court judgment delivered on March 21, 2025.

He noted that a recent meeting between PDP leaders and INEC helped clarify the commission’s position.

LAYING GROUNDWORK FOR 2027

Saraki said the PDP is already laying the foundation for a credible presidential campaign ahead of the 2027 elections.

He advocated for the emergence of a younger, forward-looking leadership at the next party convention.

“This is not just about resolving today’s issues. It’s about building for the future. The next convention must not be business as usual. We must bring in new, younger faces who represent the future of this party,” he said.

“If PDP fails, Nigeria edges closer to a one-party state. And that would be a disaster for democracy.”

On Thursday, the board of trustees (BoT) of the PDP kicked against the announcement of Anyanwu as national secretary of the party.

“The BoT, in defence of the constitution of the PDP, states categorically that these pronouncements by the acting national chairman are null, void and of no effect, being inconsistent and in gross violation of the express provisions of the constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017),” Adolphus Wabara, chairman of the BoT, said in a statement.