PDP Governors Meet in Zamfara After By-Election Setback, Party Faces Fresh Wike Rift
APC sweeps majority of by-election seats as PDP struggles with internal divisions ahead of its November national convention.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has begun post-mortem deliberations following its poor showing in last weekend’s by-elections, where the All Progressives Congress (APC) won 12 out of 16 contested seats.
The PDP secured victory only in Ibadan North Federal Constituency, a performance party leaders admitted was too weak to ignore. In response, governors elected on the PDP platform converged in Gusau, Zamfara State, on Friday night for a strategy session aimed at charting a new course for the opposition party.
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, confirmed his arrival for the meeting on social media, saying the governors were united in efforts to strengthen the party ahead of the 2027 elections. Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, host of the gathering, said the forum would hold a closed-door session today after an initial dinner on Friday night.
“The meeting will provide party leaders with the opportunity to discuss pressing political issues, plan for party unity and collaborate on developmental initiatives,” said Sulaiman Bala Idris, spokesperson to the Zamfara governor. He added that preparations for the party’s national convention, scheduled for November 15–16 in Ibadan, would top the agenda.
However, looming over the Gusau talks is the escalating rift between supporters of Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike and other party leaders. Wike’s loyalists have accused the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) of sidelining key stakeholders in recent zoning decisions, describing the process as “illegal and divisive.”
Led by House Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda, the group warned that it would resist any outcome of what it called “a brazen disregard for established structures.” The demands include recognition of the Dan Orbih-led South-South PDP leadership and the rejection of Chief Ali Odefa as National Vice Chairman (South East).
While some governors and NWC members have urged caution to avoid costly litigation, others are pushing for disciplinary action against Wike, citing his alleged anti-party activities. Observers fear that unresolved legal and political disputes could derail preparations for the Ibadan convention and weaken the PDP further ahead of the 2027 elections.
Meanwhile, the Africa Democratic Congress (ADC) fared even worse in the by-elections, winning no seat. Its only representative in the House of Representatives, Leke Abejide, declared that the party’s performance signaled the futility of any opposition coalition efforts against President Bola Tinubu’s APC if urgent reforms are not pursued.
For now, PDP leaders in Zamfara are under pressure to not only confront the party’s electoral failures but also find a path through the deepening internal cracks that could threaten its survival as Nigeria’s main opposition.
