By Kolawole Ojebisi
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has downplayed the influence of governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ongoing political coalition intended to wrest the reins of power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and unseat President Bola Tinubu.
Lawal said the PDP was never under consideration in the planned merger.
The former SGF described the PDP as “an incurable virus” that holds no appeal for stakeholders in the coalition.
Lawal made these claims during an interview with Punch Newspaper on Monday.
“Every time we had discussions with members of the other groups working on the coalition, the name PDP never comes up. Everybody we talk to about PDP says it is an incurable virus.
“I have never attended a meeting where the PDP was under consideration for the merger. Maybe Atiku planned to bring them in, but our discussion has mostly revolved around two options: forming a brand-new political party or joining an existing one. The PDP has never been one of those options.” the ex-SGF said.
He went further to criticise the notion of “repairing” the PDP, calling it a lost cause:
“Quite a lot of people inside and outside the PDP have approached us, saying the party can be repaired. But each time, the situation seems to deteriorate further.
I don’t think those in the PDP are serious people.”
Lawal is currently a key figure in a growing alliance that includes former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
His comments come in response to a communiqué released last Monday by the PDP Governors’ Forum.
Recall that at their meeting in Ibadan, chaired by Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, the governors rejected any talk of the PDP joining a coalition or merger ahead of the 2027 elections.
Governor Mohammed stated that while the PDP remains open to welcoming individuals, parties, or groups willing to join its platform, it would not dissolve into or merge with any existing or emerging political bloc.
