Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has absolved President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of any role in the growing crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), insisting that the party’s current troubles are entirely self-inflicted.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Fayose described the PDP as “dead,” saying he would not participate in any attempt to revive what he called a party “without a cure.”
The former governor dismissed suggestions that President Tinubu had been enticing opposition governors to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), arguing that recent defections by Bayelsa Governor Douye Diri and Enugu Governor Peter Mbah were motivated by personal ambition rather than presidential influence.
“President Tinubu should not be blamed for PDP’s problems. The PDP is sick and remains perpetually sick without a cure in view. Those who killed the party know themselves. There is a difference between a former governor and a sitting governor,” Fayose said.
Fayose, a long-time PDP member, hinted that more governors would soon abandon the opposition party, warning that internal rivalries continue to erode its foundation.
“Let me tell you, there are three more governors that will leave soon. There will be five remaining. The five remaining, one of them will struggle to catch the ticket, and they all know that the ticket is an ordinary tissue paper,” he declared.
He attributed the decline of the PDP to power struggles among its leadership, accusing key figures of prioritising personal control over collective progress.
“They are largely killing the party because they want to control it. This is what happened in 2023,” Fayose added.
Despite confirming that he remains a card-carrying member of the PDP, Fayose said he has no intention of helping to rescue the party, noting that its disintegration began long before the latest wave of defections.
His remarks come amid mounting speculation of further exits from the PDP, which continues to struggle for direction after losing its dominance in Nigeria’s political landscape following the 2023 general elections.
