By Charles Pemu 
In a startling and emotional reflection on Nigeria’s shifting political tides, Senator Chris Ekpenyong, one of the founding fathers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has declared the party all but dead, following the defection of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, his deputy Sir Monday Onyeme, former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, and their allies to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking in a no-holds-barred interview, Ekpenyong, a former Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, lamented the rapid collapse of the once-dominant PDP, attributing its downfall to internal mismanagement and the strategic political maneuvers of President Bola Tinubu.
“Tinubu has captured the PDP. It’s over. Rebuilding will be nearly impossible,” Ekpenyong said with a tone of deep resignation. “The defections you see today are just the beginning. I fear Nigeria is heading towards a one-party state.”
“We Handed the Party to Governors and Lost Control”
Tracing the roots of PDP’s troubles, Ekpenyong placed blame squarely on the party’s founding leadership, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, for ceding too much power to state governors. According to him, this strategic error set the stage for the party’s steady decline.
“Back then, during the Second Republic, governors didn’t control the parties. But in PDP, once the governors seized the structure, the soul of the party was lost. They now defect mainly to shield themselves from EFCC prosecution,” he said bitterly.
Ekpenyong recalled that PDP was envisioned by elder statesmen like the late Chief Sunday Awoniyi and Dr. Alex Ekwueme, with hopes of creating a people-driven political force. But today, he lamented, “those ideals have been abandoned.”
“Atiku’s Presidential Ambition Tore Us Apart”
The veteran politician pointed a sharp finger at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, blaming his relentless presidential ambition for further fracturing the party.
“Atiku should have stepped aside to allow the rebuilding of the party. His insistence divided both North and South, and weakened PDP beyond repair,” Ekpenyong said.
He warned that even more defections are imminent, predicting that other PDP governors—particularly those angling for second terms—might soon join the APC bandwagon to safeguard their political futures.
“The Opposition is Dead — Only the People Can Save Democracy”
Ekpenyong painted a grim picture of the future, warning that without a groundswell of new political activism from ordinary Nigerians, the dream of a vibrant multi-party democracy could wither.
“This is the requiem mass for PDP. Tinubu now dominates the South, and the North has no choice but to align. A real opposition can only emerge from a people’s movement, not from the current crop of spineless leaders,” he declared.
He recounted failed attempts to reignite hope within the party ranks, including conversations with former PDP National Chairman Okwesilieze Nwodo, admitting that even party conventions are unlikely to heal the deep wounds.
Reflecting further on Nigeria’s political evolution, Ekpenyong criticized the PDP’s missteps after President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s death, saying the party squandered its chance to maintain regional balance and national unity.
“They should have allowed the North to complete Yar’Adua’s term properly. That mistake was the beginning of PDP’s irreversible fall,” he concluded.
As the sun seemingly sets on the once-mighty PDP, Senator Ekpenyong’s elegy offers a sobering glimpse into the party’s troubled soul — and a warning about the future of Nigeria’s democracy under an increasingly dominant APC.