By Oyinkansayo Wole-Bodunde.
Nigeria’s opposition parties are struggling with internal conflicts, raising concerns about their ability to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) are all facing leadership crises, with power struggles threatening to tear them apart.
The PDP, in particular, is struggling with an issue over the position of National Secretary, with Samuel Anyanwu and Sunday Ude-Okoye vying for the spot. The party’s Board of Trustees meeting recently fell into chaos, with suspected thugs removing Ude-Okoye from the gathering.
Meanwhile, the LP is dealing with a leadership dispute, with Julius Abure recognized as the National Chairman by a Court of Appeal judgment. However, a part of the party, led by Senator Nenadi Usman, is challenging Abure’s leadership and plans to take the matter to the Supreme Court.
The NNPP is also facing internal conflicts, with a number of them, led by Agbo Major insisting that the party’s presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, remains expelled.
Presidential candidates Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have accused the APC of instigating problems within opposition parties. However, the APC has dismissed these allegations, with its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, attributing the PDP’s crisis to Atiku’s “political desperation.”
Analysts believe that the opposition parties’ chances of winning the 2027 elections depend on their ability to put their houses in order and present a united front. Debo Adeniran, Chairman of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), suggests that a partnership of opposition parties, supported by an aggressive membership drive, may be the only way to challenge the APC’s dominance.
On the other hand, Chief Chekwas Okorie, founder of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), believes that the realignment of political forces will lead to a powerful partnership that can threaten the APC’s hold on power.
As the 2027 elections approach, all eyes are on the opposition parties to see how they will manage their internal conflicts and present a credible alternative to the APC.
