Step aside and back a southern candidate to save the party – PDP group to Atiku

Amid mounting defections and internal unrest in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a group under the banner PDP 100 Percent has called on the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to abandon his ambition of becoming Nigeria’s president and instead support a candidate from the South in the interest of unity and party survival.

Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, April 25, the group’s National Coordinator, Dennis Shima, said Atiku’s continued pursuit of the presidency was deepening the party’s crisis and fueling widespread discontent among members.

Shima blamed Atiku for laying the groundwork for the party’s current woes, including the recent wave of defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). He recalled Atiku’s role in leading five governors away from the PDP during the Jonathan administration—an act he described as political sabotage.

“At this critical turning point in our democratic history, it is imperative to call on all and sundry within PDP to support a southern presidential candidate to complete eight years in the presidency after eight years of former President Buhari from 2015 to 2023,” Shima said.

He argued that Southern Nigeria has “credible, young presidential materials that can match the incumbent President Bola Tinubu,” and criticized the continued dominance of what he called the “old brigade.”

Shima also pointed out that most of those calling for another northern presidential candidate are “protagonists of Atiku Abubakar,” who, according to him, continues to benefit from a party he once worked against.

“PDP would have been 27 years in power by now if not for the activities of the New-PDP,” he added, referencing the splinter group that contributed to the party’s historic 2015 defeat.

The group drew parallels between the 2015 defection crisis and the events of 2023, when a group of five governors—led by then Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike—opposed Atiku’s candidacy. Wike is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory under the APC government.

While addressing concerns about the role of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde in the G5 rebellion, Shima said the group’s actions were rooted in the principles of equity, fairness, and justice.

He ended his remarks by urging the PDP to rally around younger, Southern leaders ahead of the 2027 elections to restore credibility and build a more united front.