The Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected any proposed alliance with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections, warning that such a move could undermine electoral democracy and push Nigeria towards what it described as an “electoral monarchy.”
The faction, through its National Publicity Secretary of the Interim National Working Committee, Ini Ememobong, stated on Tuesday that its principled members would neither support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid nor endorse the policies of the APC-led Federal Government.
The position comes amid continued support for Tinubu’s re-election by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and members of the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led PDP faction.
Wike had on Monday urged members of a support group loyal to Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, during a meeting in Port Harcourt, to ensure that all PDP members worked towards Tinubu’s re-election.
Reacting, the Turaki-led faction described those advocating for PDP candidates to support the President as opposition pretenders allegedly working in the interest of the ruling party.
Ememobong said the call for PDP candidates to abandon their political structures in support of Tinubu was not directed at genuine party members but at individuals who claimed to belong to the opposition while supporting the governing party.
He maintained that the primary responsibility of opposition parties was to provide an alternative to the incumbent government rather than endorse its policies, adding that any political alliance should be between opposition parties and not with the ruling party.
The faction described the proposed political arrangement, referred to as a “rainbow coalition,” as a threat to electoral democracy, warning that it could concentrate political power and weaken the country’s democratic system.
It also urged its members to remain committed to the party while awaiting a judicial decision on the leadership dispute.
According to Ememobong, the faction’s case had been heard by the Court of Appeal, and the party was awaiting judgment, which it hopes will resolve the dispute over its leadership.
The statement further cautioned Nigerians against what it described as elite accommodation and state capture disguised as broad-based political cooperation.
It urged voters to use the 2027 general elections as an opportunity to hold political leaders accountable and remove those it accused of pursuing insensitive policies and undermining the interests of citizens.
