The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared its long-running wrangle over the post of National Secretary “officially over,” insisting the opposition is now “stronger and more united” as it pivots toward the 2027 general elections.
A serving PDP senator representing Adamawa Centra and chairman, Senate Committee on Science and Technology, Sen. Aminu Iya Abba while briefing journalists in Abuja National Assembly Office after the Monday’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja—an unusually stormy gathering that nevertheless ended with both rival secretary-aspirants emerging from a closed-door session to endorse a single candidate.
“There was no magic,” the lawmaker said. “If two of your children are quarrelling, you send them into a room, let them talk, and they come out as one family. That’s exactly what happened.”
He likened the wrangling to a quarrel between two brother of the same father.
Dismissing the talk of mass defections as “wishful thinking,” reminding reporters that the party’s umbrella symbol has endured since 1999.
“I carried the APC broom once; it didn’t sweep well,” he quipped. “Politics is local. At the end of the day, we all return to our roots—and that root is PDP.”
Turning to his committee brief, the lawmaker lamented that Nigeria’s entire 2024 allocation for science stood at “barely ₦100 billion,” far below what is required to compete globally.
“If we take research seriously, science will lift this country out of poverty,” he argued. “America’s edge—whether in stealth jets or vaccines—is science. Nigeria must budget big for Research & Development if we expect to join the world’s front row.”
Wike and ‘Anti-Party’ Allegations
Pressed on whether former Rivers governor Nyesom Wike could be sanctioned for openly supporting the ruling APC, the senator said no formal petition had reached the party’s organs upon which the party could sanction Wike.
“You can’t punish anyone in a vacuum,” he insisted. “Until there’s a written complaint, the National Working Committee and Board of Trustees have nothing to act on”
The senator admitted the NEC meeting start time was “moved at the last minute,” creating confusion even among senior members. Nevertheless, governors, BoT members and all NEC delegates eventually attended and fixed another strategy session for 24 July.
With the secretaryship dispute buried and a fresh NEC date on the calendar, PDP leaders say their focus now shifts to “Project 2027”—a drive to reclaim Aso Rock on a platform that marries internal unity with heavy investment in science and technology.
“Nigerians were better off under PDP,” the senator declared. “Our job is to prove that again—through credible policy, credible candidates, and credible science-led solutions.”
