Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday described the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a “one chance political vehicle,” likening the party to a prodigal child that must learn to act responsibly.
The remarks followed accusations by the ADC that the PDP governors were “dancing on the graves” of Nigerians killed in Zamfara State due to worsening insecurity.
In a statement signed by Emmanuel Agbo, Director General of the PDP Governors’ Forum, the governors criticised the ADC’s August 23 meeting in Gusau, Zamfara State, accusing the party of politicising human lives.
“The ADC, having made a decision akin to entering a ‘one chance vehicle,’ is again reminded that, like the proverbial forgiving father to the prodigal son, the PDP still has our arms and doors widely open to them if they genuinely act remorsefully in repentance,” the statement read.
The governors noted that their Zamfara meeting extensively deliberated on national issues, particularly security, and acknowledged steps taken by the state government to address insecurity, while condemning killings in Katsina, Plateau, Niger and Benue states.
“Since their exit, the PDP has become much more formidable and focused, with a clear determination to have our eyes on the ball,” they added, accusing the ADC of previously constituting a “clog to the wheel of national unity and harmony.”
In a swift response, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) also criticised the PDP governors, describing the party as “deeply in comatose and crippled by intractable crisis.”
APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, in a statement, said: “It is comical for the governors of the PDP, a party in deep comatose, savagely crippled by intractable crisis of its own making, and turned an unrecognisable shadow of its old self, to be making statements that only aptly describe its own doomed fate, now and in the lead-up to 2027.”
Morka added that the APC’s victories in recent by-elections reflected Nigerians’ confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s administration and its Renewed Hope agenda.
“It is infantile and irresponsible for PDP governors to hail democracy where they won in the by-election and decry democracy everywhere they lost. The victory or defeat of the PDP or other opposition parties is not, and cannot be, the barometer for measuring the credibility of the country’s electoral process or performance,” he said.
The exchange highlights growing political tensions among Nigeria’s major parties as they position ahead of the 2027 general elections.
