A former House of Representatives member, Tajudeen Yusuf, has urged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to forgo his presidential ambition in 2027 and allow the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to return to its traditional zoning arrangement by ceding the ticket to the South.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday, Yusuf linked the ongoing crisis in the PDP to personal ambitions superseding collective party interests.
He argued that Atiku’s repeated bids for the presidency have contributed to the party’s internal instability.
“If I have my way, I will advise former Vice President Atiku, leave PDP ticket, let it go to the South even if we don’t win presidential election, we would have been seen as going back to our original modus operandi where part positions are zoned,” Yusuf stated.
He emphasized the vital support the South-South and South-East regions have provided the PDP over the years, warning that continued marginalization could erode morale and faith in the party’s future.
“Look at the South-South and the South-East who have been reasonably the bedrock of the PDP, you just come and pick ticket, people will start losing hope because the desire of everybody is to get to the peak of their career,” he said.
Yusuf expressed concern over the frustration growing among party members from the South, particularly during primaries dominated by votes from one section of the country.
“If they now realise that because of the number that comes from one particular section in primary election they cannot get the ticket, they get frustrated,” he noted.
The PDP, once Nigeria’s dominant political force, has faced serious turbulence since its defeat in the 2023 general election.
The wave of defections continued this week with key figures such as Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, his deputy Monday Onyeme, former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, and several commissioners leaving the party for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Describing the PDP’s woes as largely self-inflicted, Yusuf accused governors of deliberately allowing the party to crumble to justify their exits.
