•Tinubu and Incarcerated IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu
As parties in Nigeria gear up for the 2027 general elections, the Deputy National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Richard Nnanna Ihediwa, has lashed out at the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for working assiduously to win the Southeast votes when the same party jailed a prominent son of the zone, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
According to him, APC should not expect electoral support from the Southeast in the 2027 general elections after what he called its support and agenda of “superintending the jailing of the region’s prominent son”, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), reports Daily Independent.
Speaking at the Abia PDP stakeholders’ meeting and inauguration of Local Government Caretaker Committee leadership in Umuahia, Ihediwa accused the APC of maladministration and political exclusion of the Southeast, saying that the APC would record a woeful outing in the region in the 2027 elections.
His words, “APC has failed Nigeria, and we have suffered enough, especially in the South-East. A government that jailed your son and kept him far away from you should not expect your support. APC has always marginalised the South-East.
“For us in the PDP, we pledge to field candidates for all elective positions in the 2027 general elections and want to assure all Nigerians that our party, the PDP, has no factions.
Today, the PDP is being targeted because it remains the only formidable opposition party capable of unseating the ruling party”.
He therefore accused the ruling party of using political moles to instigate crises in the PDP’s leadership, stressing that the emergence of the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) at the November 2025 Ibadan Convention had conclusively resolved the PDP’s leadership dispute.
“The PDP is fully prepared for the 2027 general elections and will offer Nigerians a credible alternative. Nigerians should know that the APC is not an option in 2027. The reason they are fighting the PDP is that they know we are the ones capable of salvaging Nigeria from their grip”, he said.
The PDP chieftain also alleged that the APC-led federal government has continually mismanaged the economy, claiming its policies have worsened the country’s economic situation.
He also decried the activities of some party members allegedly working with external forces to undermine the PDP and declared, “Some moles wanted to sell the PDP because of money and parcels of land in Abuja, it’s regrettable”.
On the PDP’s Governor’s Forum, Ihediwa described the forum as credible. He also commended the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) and other party elders for resisting attempts by certain elements to hijack the party.
He requested all PDP members to remain resolute and participate actively in the ongoing online membership registration, declaring that the party’s difficult days were over, adding, “PDP is back on its winning track; we cannot be stopped”.
Meanwhile, former Senate President and Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara, has formally flagged off the party’s online membership registration in Abia State.
In his speech at a brief flag-off ceremony, Wabara urged party members across the state to register en masse, adding that the PDP had been repositioned for electoral victories.
Overwhelmed by the turnout of party faithful at the event, the former Senate President declared that “the PDP can never die”, even as he commended the Abia PDP Caretaker Committee Chairman, Hon. Ikpegbu Emeka-Yellow, for demonstrating leadership capacity within less than a month in office.
He, however, advised the new leadership of the party in Abia to avoid godfatherism and ensure equal opportunities for all members. According to him, more people would be attracted to the party when transparency and due process replace impunity and imposition that weakened the PDP in the past.
Wabara used the opportunity to request former members who left the party during its turbulent period to return, expressing confidence that the PDP would reclaim several states in the 2027 elections.
Earlier, while inaugurating the Local Government Caretaker Committees, the Abia PDP Caretaker Committee Chairman, Hon. Emeka-Yellow, had described their appointment as “a call to service, sacrifice, and responsible leadership.”
He said, “The task before you is clear: rebuild our structures at the grassroots, mobilise our members, reconnect with our supporters and restore the confidence of the people in our great party,” he said.
Emeka-Yellow acknowledged that the PDP in Abia had faced serious internal challenges that weakened its structures and dampened members’ morale, but said the party had now turned a new page.
He announced that the party would soon embark on an aggressive membership drive, insisting that Abia remains a PDP stronghold, even as he used the forum to appeal to former members who left the party to return and embrace reconciliation in the interest of the party.
“This is the time to heal old wounds, rebuild trust, and reunite our party. The era of sabotage must end. The PDP remains a home for loyal and committed democrats ready to work for the growth and success of the party,” he said.
He pledged that the Abia chapter of PDP will remain loyal to the Turaki-led NWC and commended PDP governors and party elders for defending the party’s integrity.
Others who spoke at the flag-off ceremony included: former Umuahia North lawmaker Hon. Emeka Ejiogu, former Commissioner for Housing, Barr James Opara, and Hon. Tamuna Iyala, who represented the three senatorial zones of PDP.
In his speech, Opara expressed confidence that the PDP had regained its footing in Abia and lauded the state caretaker committee for its leadership and pledged unwavering support to rebuild the party ahead of future elections.
Opara insisted that the outcome of the Ibadan Convention remained legally binding, noting that the notice convening the convention was duly signed by the party’s then National Chairman and National Secretary in line with constitutional provisions.
The legal practitioner also accused the ruling APC of attempting to weaken the opposition through political infiltration.
He took a swipe at the City Boy Movement, a support group of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, dismissing it as “a movement of jobless people.”
