Despite the attempts by some critical stakeholders, who believe that the moribund People Democratic Party (PDP) can be resuscitated, they have met with brick walls and are being frustrated. That is no thanks to the crisis bedeviling the opposition party.

Some of them are members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Tanimu Turaki faction, which paid a courtesy visit to former President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja two weeks ago. A source privy to what transpired at the meeting told Sunday Telegraph that they wanted Jonathan to be more involved in the activities of the party.

“They told him that he is the only high-ranking officer of the party, who has not been tainted in any form. He has the needed experience to galvanise and rally the party from drifting as a former deputy governor, a former governor, a former vice president, a former president, and a current statesman.

He has all it takes to be the face of the party and to face the APC behemoth,” the Source said. The source continued: “However, Jonathan, apart from telling them that he is still a card-carrying member of the PDP, and would be involved in the PDP activities, was non-committal about him contesting the 2027 election.

He told his visitors that he would need to consult widely before giving them a response to the request.” Before then, former Kwara State Governor and the President of the Senate of the 8th National Assembly, Dr. Bukola Saraki, had also been involved in efforts to resuscitate the PDP.

Reliable party sources, who confided in the Sunday Telegraph, said that Saraki believes that the situation of the party can still be salvaged. “He believes that it is time to bury the hatchet,” the Source said. Sunday Telegraph gathered that he is doing some networking behind the scenes, and party leaders realised that the best option would be to work with the Nyesom Wike Team because, whatever Court they go to, there is no way that the Wike Group will not win.

However, some members are telling Saraki that Wike is working for Tinubu. That is also the dilemma. “As I am talking to you,” continued a source, who is privy with the happenings in the party, “even now, it is obvious that they are at a cross roads and the fact that some of the people they thought would work with them are also jumping ship and going back to the ADC, while the others are going to APC.

It is making the PDP rudderless.” The failed attempts to resuscitate the party, the frustrations of stakeholders, and the fact that when INEC called them, they could not agree, both sides maintained their stances. Furthermore, Sunday Telegraph was told that because of that, INEC had decided that it would go by whatever extant legal matter is available.

That is: “What is the position of the law relating to this, following the court pronouncements? One of the key ways to know the tumble and the fall of the PDP is its inability to legally present a candidate for the coming election in Ekiti State,” the source answered.

“The name of all those who are contesting for the governorship election have been listed, but the INEC is unable to list that of the candidate of the PDP, which faction will win. That is why the governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, was so afraid of contesting on the platform of the PDP that he had to bow out to join the Accord Party. It also underscores and underlines the fall and fall of the PDP.”

The party has lost not a few members to the ruling APC and the Accord Party. They include the following: Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, Kefas Agbu of Taraba State, Similayi Fubara of Rivers State, Duoye Diri of Bayelsa, and Caleb Muftwang of Plateau State.

The PDP in 2023 controlled Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Osun, Oyo, Rivers, Plateau, Taraba, and Zamfara States. There are indications that more governors may dump the umbrella for the broom.

They do not know what to do as all attempts by some critical stakeholders to solve the problem failed, and with the exit of the Atiku Abubakar tendency and with the intransigence of the Wike, it is obvious that this is a party in the throes of death.

Currently, the PDP can be said to be left with only two governors – Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi has a lot on his hands to deal with.