ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Former member of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Yusuf, has pointed to the personal ambitions of certain Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders most notably former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as a key driver of the internal crisis plaguing the party.
Speaking on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, on Thursday, Yusuf called on Atiku to step away from the 2027 presidential ticket and allow the PDP to return to its traditional zoning arrangement. He believes doing so would help restore peace and unity within the party.
“If I have my way, I will advise former Vice President Atiku, leave PDP ticket, let it go to the South. Even if we don’t win the presidential election, we would have been seen as going back to our original modus operandi where party positions are zoned,” Yusuf said.
He emphasized that the South-South and South-East regions have long been the foundation of PDP support, warning that continually sidelining them in national contests could demoralize loyal party members.
“Look at the South-South and the South-East who have been reasonably the bedrock of the PDP, you just come and pick ticket, people will start losing hope because the desire of everybody is to get to the peak of their career.
“If they now realise that because of the number that comes from one particular section in primary election they cannot get the ticket, they get frustrated”, Yusuf said.
Atiku Abubakar, who was the PDP’s presidential candidate in the 2019 and 2023 elections, has remained a prominent figure within the party.
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However, his continued ambition is now drawing internal criticism from voices like Yusuf, who view it as disruptive to the PDP’s long-established power-sharing principles.
The PDP has been grappling with internal discontent since the 2023 general elections, which saw the defection of several high-ranking members, including governors and lawmakers, to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The latest wave of defections came on Wednesday, with Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, his deputy Monday Onyeme, former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, and other top PDP figures in the state leaving for the APC.
Yusuf, who previously represented Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency, described the current crisis in the PDP as “self-inflicted,” blaming the leadership especially state governors—for enabling the chaos as a means of justifying their eventual defection to rival parties.
He argued that these governors had deliberately allowed the PDP to falter, paving the way for a smooth transition to other political platforms under the guise of dissatisfaction.