It is the clearest reflection yet of a party that has lost its moral anchor, organisational discipline and sense of political direction.
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What Nigerians are witnessing today is not sudden collapse but the final stage of a decline that began quietly within the legislature and was dangerously ignored by PDP leadership.
Long before governors began defecting openly, PDP senators and House of Representatives members across several states had already started exiting.
From the North Central to the South South, parts of the North West and the South West, lawmakers who once rode the PDP banner abandoned ship in ones and twos. Some sought refuge in ADC, others moved directly into APC. The pattern was unmistakable. Confidence in PDP’s future had evaporated.
A party that cannot retain its elected lawmakers cannot negotiate power, cannot enforce discipline and cannot claim to be a credible alternative government.
These defections marked the real beginning of PDP’s fall. They weakened the party’s numerical strength in the National Assembly, reduced its national spread and exposed its inability to manage internal grievances.
Instead of introspection, PDP leadership responded with denial. This arrogance mirrors the posture of the party during the twilight of the Jonathan administration, when early defections were dismissed with the now infamous attitude that they did not matter. History settled that argument decisively when, for the first time, an opposition party defeated a sitting president.
The current crisis is therefore not new. It is a replay of an old mistake. The G7 rebellion, the legislative walkouts and the silent alignment of power blocs all pointed to a party that had lost cohesion. PDP failed to read the signals then and appears unwilling to learn now.
ADC’s brief role in this realignment further exposes PDP’s decay. For many defectors, ADC was not a destination but a temporary holding ground, an escape route from a dysfunctional party.
The true destination has consistently been the APC, the party in control of federal power and political structure. This distinction matters.
Those who moved to APC were not merely protesting PDP, they were aligning with a system they considered stable, inclusive and realistic. In both scenarios, PDP was rejected.
President Bola Tinubu’s role in this unfolding realignment deserves attention. His political strength lies not in slogans or moral posturing but in a deep understanding of power, interests and negotiation.
Tinubu understands that politics does not end at the ballot box. It continues through inclusion, dialogue and stakeholding.
His approach reflects a give and stake ideology that allows political actors to see themselves within the system rather than outside it.
This is why politicians, even those from opposing camps, find alignment with Tinubu workable. He absorbs rather than alienates, negotiates rather than humiliates and stabilises power before attempting to enforce policy.
In a political environment as complex as Nigeria’s, this understanding is not a weakness but a governing skill. It explains why defections continue to tilt towards APC and why the opposition remains fragmented.
In contrast, PDP has become a party without values and without healing mechanisms. Internal disputes fester, leadership crises recur and exclusion has replaced inclusion. A party that thrives on nostalgia rather than reform cannot inspire loyalty.
It cannot attract new energy and cannot retain its old base. As governors and lawmakers continue to leave, PDP risks becoming a party of less interest, remembered for its past dominance rather than its present relevance.
Yet, decline is not destiny. PDP still has options if it chooses to confront reality. Healing must begin with genuine internal reconciliation, ideological clarity and respect for internal democracy. The party must stop trivialising defections and start addressing the grievances that fuel them.
It must rebuild trust among its lawmakers, empower credible leadership and articulate a clear national vision beyond opposition for opposition’s sake. Without this, the exodus will continue and relevance will fade further.
For now, the political verdict is clear. The fall of the PDP began in the legislature, deepened with the governors and is being sealed by sustained internal arrogance.
For Tinubu and the APC, the defections are not accidents. They are affirmations of political competence, strategic inclusion and an understanding of how power works in a plural democracy. Politics rewards those who understand it. At this moment in Nigeria’s political journey, Tinubu does and PDP does not.
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