From the euphoria of its emergence as the dominant political platform at the dawn of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic to years of defections, factional disputes and leadership battles, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has travelled a long and turbulent road. In this retrospective, ABDULRAHMAN IBRAHIM traces the events that shaped the party’s rise, the internal conflicts that weakened its hold on power and the challenges confronting it as Nigeria approaches another general election
After the demise of Nigeria’s military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, on June 8, 1998, General Abdulsalami Abubakar became the Head of the interim government. The government announced that democratic elections would be held the following year, bringing an end to more than 15 years of military rule in the country.
Reports indicate that, in 1998, the G-18 and G-34 had openly opposed plans by Nigeria’s military leader, Sani Abacha, to continue his rule. Following Abacha’s death and the commencement of the transition programme, political associations began positioning themselves for the return to democratic rule.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was founded in August 1998 by members of numerous groups and organisations, including the G-34 and other political associations. The party had a broad political base.
Alex Ekwueme, a former Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, chaired its Steering Committee, while Professor Jerry Gana served as secretary. The party had a wide membership cutting across traditional chiefs, academics, businessmen and retired military officers.
The party was formally launched in Abuja on August 31, 1998. It subsequently emerged as one of the parties that successfully navigated the registration process and quickly established a nationwide political structure.
In the 1999 general elections, the PDP won the presidential election with General Olusegun Obasanjo as its candidate and also secured a majority of seats in the legislature. Obasanjo was sworn in as President on May 29, 1999, marking the beginning of the Fourth Republic. The PDP subsequently established itself as the dominant political party in the country.
The cracks begin to show
One of the major cracks in the PDP came in 2013, when a major political confrontation erupted around the election of the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum. The election was contested between the Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, and the then Governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang.
Amaechi was declared the winner with 19 votes against Jang’s 16, but some governors rejected the result and backed Jang as chairman.
The confrontation deepened existing divisions within the PDP and contributed to the emergence of rival centres of political influence. The disagreement over the Governors’ Forum was followed by growing tensions within the PDP over the political future of President Goodluck Jonathan and his ambition to contest the 2015 general elections.
During the PDP national convention in Abuja on August 31, 2013, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and seven serving northern governors, popularly known as the G-7, staged a dramatic walkout.
The development intensified the rebellion within the party and eventually contributed to the emergence of the New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), whose members cited alleged heavy-handedness, impunity and lack of internal democracy under then National Chairman Bamanga Tukur and President Goodluck Jonathan.
In November 2013, five of the G-7 governors — Rotimi Amaechi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Murtala Nyako, Aliyu Wamakko and Abdulfatah Ahmed — defected to the newly formed All Progressives Congress (APC), following the realignment of opposition parties. Their defection was followed by the movement of federal legislators from the PDP to the opposition.
This momentum contributed significantly to the weakening of the PDP ahead of the 2015 general elections. The party subsequently lost the presidency and its dominant position at the federal level, marking a major turning point in its political history.
Leadership battles, the road to 2023
The PDP then faced another prolonged internal crisis between 2015 and 2019, including a leadership tussle between Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and the National Caretaker Committee led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi.
The Sheriff-Makarfi power struggle was complicated by conflicting court rulings until the Supreme Court, in July 2017, recognised the Makarfi-led caretaker committee as the legitimate leadership of the party.
The outcome of the court battle further exposed the party’s internal divisions and was followed by defections by supporters of the rival faction to the APC ahead of the 2019 elections.
Between 2019 and 2023, the party was still unable to completely resolve its internal leadership crisis. The disagreement increasingly pitched northern stakeholders led by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who emerged as the party’s presidential candidate, and then National Chairman Iyorchia Ayu against southern stakeholders.
The southern bloc argued that the North could not simultaneously produce the presidential candidate and the national chairman. Ayu was asked to step down for a southern candidate, but he refused. His continued leadership became a major source of disagreement with the G5 governors led by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike.
The G5 governors opposed Atiku’s presidential campaign in 2023, with the dispute over party leadership and zoning becoming a major feature of the PDP’s campaign period.
The 2027 challenge
As the 2027 election approaches, the PDP continues to grapple with internal leadership disputes and competing political interests. In 2026, rival factions have held parallel activities and disputed control of the party’s structures and nomination processes, including over candidates for the 2027 elections.
The unresolved conflict has continued to affect the leadership and organs of the party. The PDP has also suffered further defections and a significant reduction in the number of states under its control.
Current September 2026 reporting indicates that the party still controls some governorships, rather than none, with live sources differing on the exact number because of continuing defections and political realignments.
The internal power struggles, factionalism and disagreements over zoning and the rotation of political power have added to the challenges confronting the party.
The PDP, which once dominated Nigeria’s political landscape, now faces the task of rebuilding its organisational structure, resolving its leadership disputes and restoring cohesion among its various tendencies as the country moves towards the 2027 general elections.
Its journey from the dominant party that emerged with Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999 to a major opposition force has been shaped by both electoral competition and internal struggles.
Whether it can overcome those divisions and rebuild a cohesive national political structure remains one of the significant questions surrounding its future.