By Ihechi Enyinnaya
Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has lost its status as Nigeria’s leading opposition party due to internal divisions, describing the party as deeply fractured.
Fayose made the remarks during an interview on Arise News, where he assessed the state of opposition politics ahead of the 2027 general elections. He argued that the PDP’s challenges were self-inflicted and not caused by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“When you are weak, there is always the tendency to give way to the stronger side,” Fayose said, stressing that the PDP’s crisis stemmed from internal failings rather than external pressure.
He dismissed claims that President Bola Tinubu was responsible for the party’s woes, insisting that internal disunity had eroded its strength. “The PDP is a house that is divided against itself,” he added.
Turning to the wider opposition landscape, Fayose identified former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi as a major political force ahead of 2027. He said Obi’s reported move to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) had significantly boosted the party’s relevance.
“Obi is the only life in ADC,” Fayose said, noting that Nigeria typically has two dominant political parties at any given time and suggesting that ADC had gained prominence largely due to Obi’s influence.
Reacting to suggestions that other prominent politicians, including Atiku Abubakar, were also associated with the ADC, Fayose described them as “largely spent forces,” maintaining that Obi remained the party’s main source of political traction.
According to him, Obi’s political weight would have a similar impact regardless of the platform he chose. “Let Obi go to any party and you will see the difference,” Fayose said, adding that the ADC’s relevance would be significantly diminished without him.