As the 2027 Presidential election approaches, a group known as PDP 100 Percent has called on the party’s 2023 Presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, to step aside from his bid for the presidency and support a southern candidate instead.
The group is making this appeal after several leaders, stakeholders, and members left the PDP for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in recent days. They believe that Atiku’s support for a southern candidate would help restore confidence in the party and help rebuild trust among the people.
The group’s national coordinator, Dennis Shima, criticized Atiku Abubakar, accusing him of being responsible for the crisis, trauma, and challenges currently facing the PDP. Shima claimed that Atiku laid the groundwork for the party’s struggles, including the mass defection of party members, and was behind the sabotage of former President Goodluck Jonathan when he led five governors to join the APC.
Shima stated, “At this crucial moment in our democratic journey, it’s important to urge everyone within the PDP to support a southern presidential candidate to complete eight years in the presidency, following the eight years of former President Buhari from 2015 to 2023.
“Southern Nigeria has credible, young leaders who can challenge President Bola Tinubu, rather than continuing to recycle the same old political figures who have long dominated the scene.
“It’s also worth noting that many of those pushing for a northern presidential candidate in the PDP are strong supporters of Atiku Abubakar, who, regrettably, fails to acknowledge how generous the PDP has been to him, despite his role, along with others in the North, in orchestrating the party’s defeat in 2015.”
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“The PDP would have been in power for 27 years in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic if not for the actions of the New-PDP, a faction within the party that joined forces against the PDP’s presidential candidate in 2015,” Shima said.
He added, “A similar situation occurred in 2023, when a group of five governors, led by former Governor Nyesom Wike, who is now the FCT Minister under the APC-led Federal Government, turned against the party.”
The national coordinator further explained, “It’s important to remember that Atiku would have remained in the APC-led government under President Buhari if Buhari had kept his promise to bring him along in his ‘Change Mantra’ administration. Unfortunately, President Buhari did not include Atiku, which led him to return to the PDP in December 2017.” Shima, while advocating for young and dynamic politicians from the South, such as Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, to consider running for the PDP presidential ticket in 2027, urged party members to overlook Makinde’s past involvement in the G5 faction led by former Rivers State Governor and current FCT Minister. He explained that Makinde’s actions in the now-defunct G5 were driven by principles of equity, fairness, and justice.
In defending Governor Seyi Makinde’s role in the G5, the Coordinator explained, “It didn’t make sense to nominate a presidential candidate from the North right after eight years of President Buhari, who is from the North, holding office from 2015 to 2023.”
Reflecting on past events, the PDP group added, “In 2014/2015, members of the PDP, led by Atiku and the New-PDP faction, were behind the defeat of President Goodluck Jonathan, which opened the door for the APC to take power. This, without a doubt, contributed to the current security and economic problems in Nigeria.”
The group also mentioned, “In 2017, PDP leaders, as part of a Constitutional Review Committee chaired by Senator Gabriel Torwua Suswam, intentionally amended the party’s constitution to give returnees like Atiku Abubakar and others the same rights as those who never left the party. We all supported and ratified this decision at Eagle Square on December 10, 2017.” They further clarified that, before this change, the PDP had a two-year probation period for new members before they could run for office within the party or seek public office under its banner.
“Remember, Atiku officially returned to the PDP in December 2017. On December 5, 2017, at the PDP National Secretariat’s NEC Hall, he held a World Press Conference to explain why he left the Buhari-led Federal Government just a few years after helping bring it to power. Atiku returned to the PDP because he had lost all hope in the Buhari administration, unlike former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, who, as FCT Minister, remains a key figure in the defunct G5 or Integrity Group of 2023. In 2018, Atiku was widely regarded by most PDP national leaders as the best candidate to challenge President Buhari, especially since both are from the North. Southerners within the PDP accepted this and did not contest against northern aspirants.
For this reason, it is crucial to consider a strong candidate from the South, such as Governor Seyi Makinde, to represent the PDP in 2027. He would face President Tinubu, a fellow Yoruba, who has failed to deliver good governance for the Yoruba Nation and Nigeria as a whole. Issues like insecurity, the devaluation of the naira, political instability, and unconstitutional actions—such as the suspension of elected government officials in Rivers State—highlight the need for a change. Southerners in the PDP had qualified candidates for the 2019 presidential ticket but chose to support the North as part of a strategy to defeat President Buhari, who was from the North. Therefore, it is only fair and just for northern PDP members, like Atiku, to step aside for the 2027 race, just as southerners did for the North in 2019.
In 2022, the PDP presidential ticket was left open because the North couldn’t defeat its own in 2019. Fortunately for the North, Atiku Abubakar secured the ticket, unlike in 2019 when the PDP presidential candidate was from the North, but the party’s National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, was from the South. The North insisted on holding both positions, which ultimately cost the party the presidency in 2023.”
“Therefore, PDP stakeholders, in the interest of democracy, should support a reliable National Chairman from the North to avoid a repeat of the 2023 scenario, when the North held on to the presidential candidacy, the position of PDP National Chairman, and the Director-General role of the 2023 presidential campaign. Now, in 2025, some Northern stakeholders are determined to retain both the position of PDP National Chairman and the 2027 presidential candidacy. Isn’t this a clear warning that the unfortunate situation of 2023 might happen again? We are witnessing these developments unfold, and they need to be addressed democratically as soon as possible at the upcoming 2025 PDP NEC meeting, scheduled for May 27th.”
In September 1, 2013, a crisis escalated within the ruling PDP, when former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and seven governors broke away to form a faction, appointing new national officers. The governors were Sule Lamido of Jigawa, Musa Kwankwaso of Kano, Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa, Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara, and Babangida Aliyu of Niger.
The governors and their supporters had earlier stormed out of the Eagle Square, where the PDP Special Convention was taking place, after accusing the leadership of manipulating the delegate list for the election of national officers to ensure the victory of their preferred candidates.
The discontented governors, along with some senators, House of Representatives members, and other statutory delegates from their states, later gathered at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja. There, they revealed their faction’s agenda and announced the names of the new national officers. Among those named were former party officials, including Abubakar Baraje as the new National Chairman, Olagunsoye Oyinyola as National Secretary, and Sam Sam Jaja, who became the Deputy National Chairman of the faction.
