Prominent political commentator and former Northern Elders Forum spokesperson Hakeem Baba-Ahmed has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is “gone and beyond repair,” arguing that Nigeria’s opposition landscape must evolve beyond the once-dominant party.
Baba-Ahmed made the remarks during a television interview on Arise News on Thursday, as internal crises within the opposition party have deepened in the wake of the 2023 general elections. The PDP has struggled with leadership disputes, defections and waning influence, losing several high-profile members to rival parties, particularly the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Addressing the party’s decline, he said:
“The PDP is drifting away. I think it is gone, and I do not believe anyone can fix it.”
While acknowledging the PDP’s historic role in Nigeria’s democratic evolution, Baba-Ahmed argued it should no longer be viewed as the sole credible opposition to the ruling APC. Instead, he pointed to smaller parties such as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as possible alternatives, provided they offer fresh ideas and clearer policy choices to Nigerians.
“The PDP is not the only party capable of providing a credible opposition to the APC; there is the ADC and others,” he said, stressing that opposition politics must move beyond established personalities and entrenched political habits.
Baba-Ahmed also cautioned that for parties like the ADC to succeed, they must present themselves not just as oppositional vehicles but as genuine, forward-looking political forces capable of articulating distinct policy visions.
His comments come amid heightened debate about the future of Nigeria’s multiparty system ahead of the 2027 general elections, with analysts noting increasing defections from the PDP to both the APC and emerging parties — a trend that has further strained the opposition’s cohesion and relevance.
