Nigeria's Peoples Democratic Party faces potential extinction amid internal struggles and defections

A factional struggle, currently in the courts, has raised questions about the party's survival ahead of January's general election. Founded in 1998, the PDP controlled the presidency for 16 years, from 1999 to 2015, with leaders like Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and Goodluck Jonathan. However, the 2015 federal election marked a significant shift when the PDP lost the presidential vote to Muhammadu Buhari and the newly formed All Progressives Congress APC.

Political analyst Ishaq Buhari noted that the party struggled to adapt to being in opposition after being accustomed to power. The year 2025 saw further decline, with numerous defections and internal conflicts. Five state governors from Delta, Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Bayelsa, and Rivers, who were initially PDP members, switched allegiance to the ruling APC, citing declining viability and a desire for better cooperation with the federal government.

By early 2026, the PDP held three states, but this number has since dropped to zero, with the Oyo governorship lost recently. Internal power struggles, factionalism, and the loss of high-profile figures, including former Vice-President Atiku Aubakar, have contributed to the party's crisis. A leadership tussle in November 2025 led to a faction holding a national convention in Ibadan, Oyo state, despite court orders.

This faction expelled Nyesom Wike, a prom