- Gabriel Suswam expressed concern over PDP’s decline, citing leadership failures and loss of public trust
- He called for an overhaul of the party leadership to present a credible candidate for 2027
- Suswam criticised the party’s practice of awarding the presidential ticket to the highest bidder, warning it undermines integrity
Former governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, has expressed serious concern over the deteriorating state of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), citing widespread loss of public trust and ongoing leadership failures as key factors threatening the party’s relevance.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s The Morning Show on Tuesday, April 15, Suswam lamented the PDP’s persistent internal crisis, warning that the unresolved issues are driving stakeholders away and weakening the party’s national appeal.
“There are many fundamental problems in PDP, and those problems have not been sorted out. So, a lot of people, in their minds, are no longer in PDP, and that’s because of the failure of leadership in PDP,” Suswam stated.
He emphasised that unless the party undergoes a comprehensive leadership reform and presents a credible candidate, it risks further decline and irrelevance in the run-up to the 2027 general elections.
“People have lost confidence in PDP completely, This is a party that has structures all over the country, but because of a lack of good leadership, that has diminished substantially,” he said.
Suswam also criticised the practice of awarding the party’s presidential ticket to the highest bidder, warning that such actions undermine the integrity of the party and discourage capable aspirants with genuine intentions.
His remarks follow a recent decision by PDP governors not to align with any political coalition or merger ahead of the 2027 polls a stance that stands in contrast to the position of Atiku Abubakar, the party’s 2023 presidential candidate.
In a related development, PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) member, Chief Bode George, has publicly opposed the prospect of Atiku Abubakar contesting again, cautioning that his candidacy could signal “the end of the PDP in Nigerian politics.”
We remain strong, defectors will return, PDP forum predicts
Meanwhile, TheRadar reported that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Forum of Former Speakers has forecasted the return of several politicians who left the party in recent years to join other political platforms.
The forum reiterated that the PDP remains the most widely accepted, well-organised, and best-positioned party to tackle Nigeria's challenges.
