A former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has criticised recent defections from the Peoples Democratic Party, saying those leaving for the African Democratic Congress and the ruling All Progressives Congress are doing so out of anger rather than strategic thinking.
Speaking at the Consultative Conference of PDP Founding Fathers and Stakeholders, held Wednesday at the NAF Conference Hall in Abuja, Saraki warned that political solutions must be based on strategy, not emotion.
The event, themed “Reclaiming Our Legacy, Renewing Our Collective Vision”, comes amid a wave of high-profile defections from the PDP ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Among the notable figures who have recently defected to the ADC-led opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 elections are former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President David Mark, and former presidential aspirant Dele Momodu.
Among those who have defected from the PDP to the ruling APC are Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, the PDP’s 2023 Vice Presidential candidate Ifeanyi Okowa, along with many others.
In response, Saraki stated that the gathering of party leaders is a clear indication that the PDP cannot be written off.
He stated, “I stand here as someone who has experienced being in this party and not being in this party. I stand here as somebody who left this party with anger. Anger does not solve problems in leadership.
“A lot of people are leaving the party now, and leaving with anger. We must not leave if we have to leave based on ideology, based on plans, based on a vision for Nigeria, not on anger.
“Yes, we have problems. But the other parties (APC and ADC) that we’re talking about also have problems. The other parties, especially the ruling party today, have already spent almost 12 years in government. Is their record any better than PDP’s? Of course not. So what are they offering Nigerians?”
Saraki affirmed that PDP state chapters remain united and that party structures at all levels are standing by for guidance from the national leadership.
He added, “For many who had already buried this party before now, your presence here speaks volumes — that nobody is going to bury this party.
“I say that because if we look at our country today, PDP provides the best platform to develop Nigeria, to unite Nigeria, to make Nigeria prosperous. Nobody can challenge that — because we have done it. For 16 years, we have done it. We have done it. We have done it.
“We took the country to the largest economy in Africa. Today, it is just the fourth largest. We had double-digit GDP growth, it had never been achieved. We had security.
“And we had unity, most importantly. The country was united, it wasn’t about the North, neither was it about South. It was about one Nigeria. This was only done under this great party.”
He admitted that mistakes had been made but maintained that abandoning the party was not the answer.
“Yes, the party will have its challenges and is having its challenges. But the question we should ask ourselves is: should we abandon this party because of these challenges? Yes, mistakes have been made in the past, but the question remains — should we abandon this party?” Saraki asked,
The former Senate President stated that exiting the PDP is not an option for him, emphasising his commitment to actively defend and preserve the party’s future.
He said, “What I am saying is don’t let this propaganda divide us. Whatever those difficulties are, we have the capacity, the sagacity to resolve those problems. And I want to appeal to us, because we are the solution to this party. And if we make up our minds that this is the party and we want to make it work, I am confident it can work. Sixteen years speak a lot.
“Let me tell all of us here, history will not be fair to any of us if, under our watch, God forbid, this party goes down. So we don’t have an alternative. It must be seen that we gave it all it took. We did our best to rescue this party, not to abandon it and run out. It is not acceptable.
“I will not pass through this party without giving it all my best. I’m a fighter. I will never give up. And I do not believe that the problem is everywhere. In the world, politics has evolved. Politics has thinking, politics has planning.
“If this is what we want, we will find a solution. And my own appeal to those of you who are here before we leave here today, as we go into the next few days, let us agree that leaving PDP is not an option. That is not an option. What is an option is to be fair to everybody. We cannot trample on people’s rights. We must negotiate and find a way forward.”
