Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has assured Nigerians that the Peoples Democratic Party will recover and pose a formidable challenge to the country’s democratic rule by 2027.
Saraki, the Chairman of the PDP reconciliation Committee, told reporters in Ilorin on Wednesday that while some people are defecting from the party, others are joining the PDP from opposition political parties.
Responding to questions from reporters during a visit to Ajikobi ward in Ilorin West Local Government Area of the state, Saraki said, “Some members of the party (PDP) might still defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). I’m also confident that politicians from other political parties might also join the PDP.”
The former Kwara State governor, who spoke to reporters in Ilorin shortly after re-registering as a PDP member, said he is optimistic that the party will bounce back equally at the state level in 2027.
Saraki said, “The only viable opposition party is PDP, and yes, there are challenges, and I have taken it upon myself to do my best. I am seeing responses from our colleagues who are also ready to settle our differences.
“We were able to do our NEC meeting. We have scheduled another meeting for the end of this month. Between now and then, we will do a lot of legwork.
“Luckily for us, we started early, and we have two more years. We have time to know those that will stay and rebuild the party. Some might still go, and some might still join us.
“Like today, I received new members to the party at the state level. Once there is stability at the top, I’m sure we will begin to see a better future for PDP. And I thank Nigerians for being patient with the leaders of the party.
“I want to use this opportunity to reassure our members across the country that we are doing our best to rescue the party’s situation. We are confident that we will tackle the situation. We are committed to it.
“Because we are all committed to fledgling democracy, and fledgling democracy means a vibrant opposition. We all have to make personal and group sacrifices for the interest of the country.”
Responding to questions on the party’s ability to come back to the state in 2027, Saraki said, “We are even more encouraged by the level of enthusiasm that we are getting. People are coming out to register for the party. People are tired of the state of affairs in the state. New members are coming out to join the party.
“At the same time, all our old members are very active. The members we have seen are very impressive. I think the factors that people are going through in the state are insecurity, unemployment, hunger and lack of presence of governance. So we are confident that the PDP will bounce back in 2027,” he added.
“People are coming out to be associated with PDP; they are ready to want people to know that they’re PDP members. That also tells us at the grassroots that people are still in love with our party.
“Although we are having our challenges at the national level, we are confident now that once we can sort ourselves out at the top of the leadership, as long as we settle down at the grassroots, everything will fall in place,” Saraki assured.
