Senator Chris Ekpenyong, one of the founding fathers of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has expressed deep concern over the recent wave of defections by prominent figures within the party to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The former Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, who served from 1999 to 2007, voiced his fears in an interview with Vanguard, following the defection of Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, his deputy Sir Monday Onyeme, and former governor Senator Ifeanyi Okowa to the APC.

Saturday Telegraph reports that the moves that have further unsettled the main opposition party.

Speaking on the development, Ekpenyong warned that the defection trend might soon spread to Akwa Ibom State, suggesting that Governor Umo Eno could be the next to cross over.

According to him, the PDP is at risk of collapse and may find it extremely difficult to mount any credible challenge to the APC in future elections.

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“Tinubu has killed the PDP. I’m sure Akwa Ibom may follow soon,” Ekpenyong said.

“Everybody wanted former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to clearly state that he wasn’t going to contest again, but his persistence has forced people to make their own decisions.”

He argued that Atiku’s decision to remain in the presidential race has deepened divisions between the North and South, compounding the PDP’s internal crisis.

“The party has been destroyed. I honestly don’t know how they can rebuild it to challenge the APC in the future. The people we could talk to are no longer interested,” he added.

Ekpenyong also attributed part of the PDP’s woes to what he described as a historical misstep by the party’s founding leaders, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who he accused of centralizing control within the party and sidelining broader leadership.

“The first mistake PDP made was handing over the party to the governors. That was the mistake founding fathers like Obasanjo made. Obasanjo seized the party. The only ones who stood up to him were the late Chief Sunday Awoniyi and former Vice President Alex Ekwueme,” he said.

As defections continue to rock the PDP, political observers are closely watching how the party will navigate the deepening crisis ahead of the 2027 general elections.