By Abiola Olawale
A former President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki has criticised recent defections from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), accusing those jumping ship to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of acting out of anger rather than strategic foresight.
Speaking at the PDP’s Consultative Conference of Founding Fathers and Stakeholders at the NAF Conference Hall in Abuja, Saraki emphasized that political decisions must be rooted in ideology and vision, not fleeting emotions.
The conference, themed “Reclaiming Our Legacy, Renewing Our Collective Vision,” comes at a critical juncture for the PDP, as high-profile defections signal turbulence ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Recall that notable figures such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former President of the Senate David Mark, and veteran journalist Dele Momodu have recently joined the ADC-led opposition coalition, while others have aligned with the APC.
Reacting to the development, Saraki, a staunch PDP loyalist, dismissed these moves as shortsighted, urging members to focus on rebuilding the party to serve as a viable opposition.
He stated: “I stand here as someone who has experienced being in this party and not being in this party. I stand here as somebody who left this party with anger. Anger does not solve problems in leadership.
“A lot of people are leaving the party now, and leaving with anger. We must not leave if we have to leave based on ideology, based on plans, based on a vision for Nigeria, not on anger.
“Yes, we have problems. But the other parties (APC and ADC) that we’re talking about also have problems. The other parties, especially the ruling party today, have already spent almost 12 years in government. Is their record any better than PDP’s? Of course not. So what are they offering Nigerians?”
Saraki affirmed that PDP state chapters remain united and that party structures at all levels are standing by for guidance from the national leadership.
He added: “For many who had already buried this party before now, your presence here speaks volumes — that nobody is going to bury this party.
“I say that because if we look at our country today, PDP provides the best platform to develop Nigeria, to unite Nigeria, to make Nigeria prosperous. Nobody can challenge that — because we have done it. For 16 years, we have done it. We have done it. We have done it.
“We took the country to the largest economy in Africa. Today, it is just the fourth largest. We had double-digit GDP growth, it had never been achieved. We had security.
“And we had unity, most importantly. The country was united, it wasn’t about the North, neither was it about South. It was about one Nigeria. This was only done under this great party.”
