Ologbodiyan: Crisis in PDP Aimed at Weakening Party, Marginalising Opposition

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Former National Publicity Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kola Ologbodiyan, said the crisis in the party was orchestrated to disorganise it and, by extension, the opposition, ahead of future elections.

Ologbodiyan said, “All these crises are being generated to make sure that the party does not have its cohesion and unity, it must deter so that the people who are in government, the party in government will be able to suppress the other opposition parties.”

He suggested that the current crises were being used to weaken PDP’s capacity to effectively challenge the ruling party.

Speaking during an interview on ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, Ologbodiyan addressed several key issues affecting the party, including the leadership dispute within PDP, allegations of external interference, and the party’s preparedness for the 2027 elections.

He affirmed that Sunday Udeh-Okoye was the legitimate national secretary of the PDP, as confirmed by the Court of Appeal.

Ologbodiyan stated, “First and foremost, I want to say that as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, whatever Mr Ologunagba comes out to say is the official position of the PDP.

“Ologunagba has forthrightly said, legitimately and constitutionally, that Sunday Udeh-Okoye is the person recognised by the party, and until he says otherwise, I think that his position is valid.”

On the issue of external interference, particularly from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Ologbodiyan expressed concern over efforts to undermine PDP.

He alleged, “There is an attempt to reduce the PDP to a branch or an arm of the APC.”

He bemoaned the involvement of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former presidential aspirant on the PDP platform, Nyesom Wike, in APC.

“The involvement of Nyesom Wike in the governance of the APC has created a room that can lead to the collapse of the PDP, that is a fact,” Ologbodiyan stated.