By Steve Oko
Former Senate President and Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Adolphus Wabara, has said that the recent defections of PDP governors to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have confirmed his earlier warning that the APC is pursuing an agenda to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.
Wabara, reacting to the defection of Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State and the reported plans by Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State to join the APC, accused the ruling party of orchestrating the wave of defections affecting opposition parties.
Reiterating his earlier position that “a one-party state is a prelude to autocracy and retrogression,” the former Senate President accused the APC of “stifling democracy” in Nigeria.
He lamented that the democratic gains made under the PDP are being eroded under the current administration.
“I saw this coming. I raised the alarm, but was ignored. This is not the democracy that we jealously nurtured and guarded. This is a corrupted version of democracy,” Wabara said.
“The ruling APC believes in intimidating the opposition into submission. No democracy survives without opposition. The APC is killing Nigeria’s democracy by muzzling dissent.”
Wabara attributed the defections not to the APC’s superiority but to what he described as “a deliberate ambush of democracy.”
“APC’s refusal to carry out electoral reforms that could guarantee free and credible polls is what is making some of the opposition members defect. This is more of coerced defection,” he added.
The PDP BoT Chairman argued that the APC has not shown the capacity to rescue the country from its economic and governance challenges.
“Nigerians know very well that there is nothing attractive in the APC. It was never prepared for governance, and that is why it has continued to supervise the erosion of our democratic values.
Since grabbing power in 2015, the APC has superintended Nigeria’s retrogression. Poverty and economic hardship will stand out as its greatest legacies,” he said.
Wabara further claimed that PDP governors leaving the party have performed better than their APC counterparts but are defecting mainly to protect their political futures.
He, however, maintained that their exit would not lead to the collapse of the PDP.
“That a few individuals decided to leave does not mean the masses have left us. The PDP remains popular among Nigerians because they know how the PDP incubated and preserved our democracy,” he stated.
“Nigerians can take this to the bank: PDP will not die. We have come a long way and will surmount the current storm.”
Wabara urged party members, especially in the South East, to remain steadfast, expressing confidence that a brighter future awaits the PDP ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He also warned the ruling APC not to celebrate too soon, predicting internal crises ahead.
“In 2027, impoverished and suffering Nigerians — not governors — will decide the fate of the APC,” Wabara declared.
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