ABUJA, Nigeria — Governors elected on the platform of Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are expected to meet in Abuja on Sunday, May 11, 2025, to discuss the party’s deepening crisis following a series of high-profile defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Multiple sources familiar with the matter confirmed to The Trent Online that the emergency gathering is scheduled to take place at the Bauchi State Governor’s Lodge in the Asokoro district of the Federal Capital Territory.
The meeting is expected to provide a platform for the governors to reassess the party’s direction and consider strategic responses to the growing exodus.
The PDP has come under intense pressure in recent weeks, with notable defections shaking its organisational structure.
The most prominent occurred on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, when Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, accompanied by his predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa, and the entire PDP leadership in the state, switched allegiance to the APC.
The move, seen as a major blow to the opposition, followed shortly after a high-level meeting of PDP governors in Ibadan, Oyo State.
At the Ibadan gathering, the governors also made headlines by distancing themselves from a coalition initiative led by former PDP presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
The distancing underscored growing fractures within the party’s top ranks.
Adding to the mounting concern, all three PDP Senators representing Kebbi State are reportedly finalising their defection to the APC, further weakening the party’s representation in the National Assembly.
Sources say Sunday’s meeting will not only address the recent wave of defections but may also focus on the upcoming National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for May 27.
Discussions are likely to centre on internal reforms, party discipline, and possible realignments as the PDP navigates what appears to be one of the most turbulent periods in its recent history.
As of press time, no official statement has been issued by the PDP Governors’ Forum regarding the meeting.
