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Reports reaching Rocketparrot News suggest that five governors from the opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) are collaborating with the party's presidential candidate from the last elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to dissolve the PDP in favor of Nasir El-Rufai/Peter Obi ticket for the 2027 Presidential Election.
El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, has recently advocated for alliances and coalitions across party lines, which critics believe indicates his decision not to pursue his political ambitions for 2027 under a PDP banner.
He and Atiku Abubakar have met several times in recent weeks, a relationship that deepened during their joint condolence visit to the family of the late elder statesman and Niger Delta leader, Edwin Clark, last week.
A source familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, revealed that “Atiku and El-Rufai are working with at least five PDP governors to dismantle the PDP so it does not add any impediment to their efforts to reclaim power from the APC (All Progressives Congress) and President Bola Tinubu.
They have understood the need to avoid the mistakes of 2023 when votes were split among the PDP, Labour Party, and NNPP. Their strategy is to weaken the PDP in favor of whichever party they choose to support the El-Rufai/Obi ticket, ensuring that the PDP isn’t strong enough to siphon off votes that should support the coalition.
The aim is for the PDP to be in a position where its name or logo does not appear on the ballot, which would help voters concentrate on the alternative presented by the El-Rufai/Obi alliance as a replacement for the Tinubu administration,” the source clarified.
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, is said to be at the forefront of the five governors committed to further fracturing the PDP due to his strained relationship with his predecessor and key PDP figure, Nyesom Wike, who has taken a role in the APC government as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
Another source indicated, “Fubara required no encouragement to take the lead, as he clearly recognizes that his future within the PDP is bleak because of Wike's significant influence.
I believe Fubara thinks he can capitalize on the kind of popular support Peter Obi garnered in 2023 to hold onto power as Rivers Governor. Thus, he has convinced other PDP governors facing similar predicaments to back a calculated demise of the PDP.
Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa is another influential figure in this endeavor. Additionally, there is a PDP governor in the northeast who is in his second term and is committed to this initiative, along with two other second-term governors, who have stipulated that their participation must be compensated with significant ministerial positions should they assist in the success of the El-Rufai/Obi campaign,” the source added.
