PDP’s Crisis Self-Inflicted, Defections Result of Impunity – Okechukwu

A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has said the mass defections rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are self-inflicted and a direct punishment for years of internal impunity.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Thursday, Okechukwu argued that the recent wave of defections by state governors and top PDP figures to the ruling APC was “a political consequence of the party’s failure to uphold its own constitution and zoning principles.”

“The PDP should stop crying wolf after the horse has bolted,” Okechukwu said.

“This mass exodus is the result of the party’s impunity. They must accept the blame for allowing integrity and loyalty to principles to die in 2023 before crying wolf today.”

‘Atiku’s Ambition Buried PDP’s Integrity’

Okechukwu, who once served as spokesman of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), blamed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and some PDP elders for plunging the party into chaos by violating the zoning convention during the 2022 presidential primary.

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“As CNPP spokesman then, I warned the PDP to stop self-serving elders like Atiku Abubakar and his cohorts from breaching the zoning convention,” he said.

“Power drunk, they plunged the PDP into this mess. The negligence of the PDP Constitution has come back to haunt the party.”

He questioned why Atiku, “a major beneficiary of zoning in 2019,” was again allowed to contest in 2023, describing it as “a callous act that shattered the very foundation of unity and fairness on which the PDP was built.”

According to Okechukwu, the northern electorate’s rejection of the PDP in the 2023 polls reflected a backlash against the party’s defiance of rotational power.

“The chickens have come home to roost. Instead of confessing its grievous political sin, the PDP assumed that the northern electorate would support its impunity against zoning,” he said.
“For them, Atiku is not Buhari, the Mai-Gaskiya. The people chose fairness over arrogance.”

He further accused the PDP leadership of “burying the soul of the party,” saying its founding values of unity, faith, and integrity had been abandoned.

“Those who supported Atiku destroyed the PDP’s moral base. That’s why we are witnessing this implosion and the mass exodus of its members to other parties,” Okechukwu added.

‘Time for PDP to Clean House and Start Afresh’

The APC stalwart also referenced internal rifts within the PDP, including the G5 Governors led by Nyesom Wike and the emergence of Peter Obi’s movement, describing them as “unintended consequences of the party’s betrayal of zoning.”

He urged the PDP to stop blaming defectors or the APC for its woes, saying what the opposition party needed was deep introspection and reform.

“Rather than apportioning blame to governors who defected, the PDP should clean its house and start afresh,” Okechukwu advised.

“Defection is not the problem, the real issue is the loss of principle and trust within the PDP.”

He concluded that the ongoing political realignment in Nigeria should serve as a lesson to parties that “disregard internal democracy and constitutional order.”