A Critique of the PDP Governors’ Forum Communique Issued on April 15, 2025

A Critique of the PDP Governors’ Forum Communique Issued on April 15, 2025

 By Umar Ardo, Ph.D

The recently issued communique by the PDP Governors’ Forum, read by its so-called chairman, Mr. Bali Mohamed of Bauchi state, purporting to outline key resolutions on party merger, coalition, leadership and national convention arrangements raises serious constitutional and procedural concerns to our democracy. Several aspects of the communique not only challenge the very essence of internal party democracy, which PDP has been poor with since irresponsible people took over its affairs, but also expose a broader systematic failure in upholding principles of representation and due process within the PDP leadership.

2. At the heart of the matter lies the unconstitutional assumption of authority by the Governors’ Forum. The formation of zoning and convention committees – with leadership exclusively drawn from governors – subverts the powers and responsibilities that constitutionally rest with the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC). The NEC is the bona fide decision-making body mandated to handle such critical issues as zoning and convention planning. By bypassing the NEC, the Governors’ Forum, which is merely one of many interest groups within the party, has overstepped its bounds and unilaterally redefined the party’s organizational protocols. Such unilateral actions not only undermine the institutional integrity of the PDP but also call into question the legitimacy of the measures adopted.

3. The Governors’ Forum, by its very nature, represents a limited interest group within the broader party interests. Its resolutions, however, appear to be imposed with the weight of a national directive, thereby setting precedents for autocratic unilateral decisions. This conduct is at odds with the fundamental principles of internal party democracy and shared governance. When interest groups such as this one attempt to dictate nationwide policies, just because they fund the party with stolen public money, they ignore the diversity of perspectives within the party and risk alienating vast segments of the membership.

4. Further compounding these issues is a glaring procedural flaw in the communique. The document is signed and dated April 15, 2025, despite references within suggesting that the meeting took place earlier. In effect, the resolution to document the decisions was marked on a date subsequent to the actual meeting, thereby calling into question the authenticity and validity of the deliberations. Such a discrepancy in dating not only violates standard procedural norms but may also render the communique legally and constitutionally invalid as it disrupts the chain of record-keeping expected of a disciplined forum. 

5. Another of the most troubling resolutions is the blanket decision to refuse any coalition or merger with other parties or interest groups to mount a united opposition against the APC government in the next general elections. By categorically dismissing the possibility of joining forces, the Forum effectively abdicates a core duty of the party’s NEC. It is the NEC’s responsibility to chart a comprehensive strategy that unites all opposition forces in order to pose a formidable challenge to the ruling regime.

6. This decision is particularly alarming given that, in a period when the APC government is actively consolidating power, forging alliances across divergent political factions is essential for any credible counter-offensive. The unilateral stance taken by the governors risks fragmenting the opposition, leaving the PDP isolated in a highly competitive electoral landscape. Moreover, this position serves as an implicit nod of alignment with President Tinubu’s administration, suggesting that the forum’s priorities may be skewed away from genuine opposition politics and toward preserving personal and sectional interests.

7. Regarding the representation of national leadership, it must be clarified that Amb. Umar Damagun, the party national chairman, was indeed present at the venue. However, his inclusion in the Governors’ Forum discussions invites scrutiny precisely because he does not represent a gubernatorial constituency. In an arena meant exclusively for governors—figures directly entrusted with state-level leadership—the presence of a non-governor, even one holding the highest party office, underscores a structural incongruity in the forum’s decision-making process.

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8. This situation prompts a deeper question: if the chairman is present, why have no other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) been part of the deliberations? The selective participation further blurs the boundaries between interests representing the broader party and those of a narrow gubernatorial cohort. Rather than ensuring inclusive, strategic decision-making, this selective attendance appears to fortify a closed circle of interests that may be more inclined to forge cozy relations with the current administration rather than challenge it constructively.

9. The PDP Governors’ Forum on certain critical party and national issues not only oversteps its institutional mandate but also raises critical questions about its political allegiances and commitment to the party’s broader strategic interests. The communicative measures adopted by the Forum in this instance do more than simply articulate a set of policy proposals; they expose a disturbing trend toward centralization of power within a narrow section of the party. 

10. By usurping the NEC’s prerogatives, excluding key national leaders, and operating outside the bounds of established procedural norms, the Forum has undermined both the constitutional framework and the democratic principles that should govern internal party affairs. Such actions risk alienating wider membership support and set a dangerous precedent for unilateral decision-making, thereby further eroding the cohesion and efficacy of the PDP as a whole.

11. These decisions taken, particularly the outright refusal to explore coalition politics and the problematic representation in the meeting, reveal a worrying trend. They suggest an alignment that undermines the party’s democratic ethos and its responsibility to offer a united, principled front against the APC government. The unilateral resolutions not only subvert the powers vested in the NEC but also risk alienating a wider base of party supporters who expect a more inclusive, strategic, and opposition-minded approach.

12. In sum, this communique represents not just an administrative misstep, but a fundamental challenge to the core values of democratic accountability and inclusive governance within the party. For the long-term health of the PDP and Nigerian democracy at large, a re-alignment with constitutionally sanctioned processes is imperative. For the PDP to regain its stature as a champion of robust, democratic governance, it is essential that decision-making is returned to constitutionally sanctioned bodies with full, representative participation. But then, when people who did not even know how the party was formed in the first takeover the party through some fortuitous circumstances, how can the party fair any better? This present sorry state of the PDP in the hands of such charlatans, which made some of us who were there at its formative stage to leave the party, must have to be squarely addressed. Only then can the party hope to forge a united opposition capable of challenging the current administration in a meaningful and transformative manner.