Onyekachi Eze 
Political gladiators within the main opposition political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have once again, shifted their battle for change in the leadership of the party to November 28.
The PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, which was to hold on October 24, was postponed to next month after a meeting with the PDP governors, members of the National Working Committee (NWC), the Board of Trustees (BoT), Forum of Form Governors and the National Assembly caucus.
Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Senator Bala Mohammed, in a communiqué at the end of the meeting, said the meeting was put off because of the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State.
According to the governor, the party resolved to go to the Ondo election, “with the unity and strength demanded to unseat the floundering All Progressives Congress (APC) government in the state.”
But a party source said beyond the reason given by the governor, was the disagreement within the party, and even among the governors, on the leadership crisis.
“The governors are divided into pro and anti-coalition groups. Some members of the party want PDP to join like minds in other political parties, to be able to unseat President Bola Tinubu in 2027,” the source disclosed.
According to him, former Vice-President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is discussing with former presidential candidate of Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi and some elements of the defunt Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the APC, towards forming a coalition in 2027.
Said the source:”It is a kind of tripod of some sort. The PDP, Labour Party and CPC elements in the APC, majorly Northerners. They are working towards forming a consensus to stop Tinubu in 2027.”
He said there were some members of PDP who were opposed to joining the coalition.
“Some governors, who have presidential ambitions are not in support of coalition. They believe PDP can win the election on its own.
“And there is (Nyesom) Wike factor, who is working to weaken the PDP, so that the party will not be strong enough to challenge Tinubu in 2027.
“PDP Governors’ Forum is factionalised. One of the governors from the South is working with Wike to weaken the PDP. He is leading one of the factions. Bala Mohammed is leading the other faction,” he said.
According to him, though Governor Mohammed is not in support of the coalition, he is against Wike.
He, however, said the November 28 will end the acting Chairmanship of Ambassador Umar Damagum.
The division in PDP Governors’ Forum was evident in last week’s meeting, where the decision to postpone the NEC meeting was reached. Only five out of the 13 governors attended the meeting.
Two months ago, Governor Mohammed and his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde, openly disagreed on the continued stay of Damagum as PDP acting National Chairman.
While Mohammed said Damagum should step down for someone from North Central to complete Dr. Iyorchia Ayu’s tenure, Makinde said there was no need to change the leadership of the party now.
At the moment, there is existing court judgement stopping PDP from replacing Damagum as acting National Chairman till December next year, when the tenure of the present NWC will come to an end.
The source disclosed that four retired army generals, including former military and civilian presidents, were in support of the coalition to upset Tinubu in 2027.
