A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Adetokunbo Pearse, has said the party remains a strong opposition platform in Nigeria despite its ongoing internal challenges.
Pearse stated that the PDP continues to pose a significant political challenge to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Pearse made the remarks in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria while responding to concerns about the leadership crisis and legal disputes affecting the party. ‘
According to him, the difficulties currently facing the PDP are not as severe as widely perceived.
“What is happening to the PDP is not as disastrous as many people think. People in their minds are still with the party as the main opposition party,” Pearse said.
He added that the PDP remains “the biggest threat to the ruling party,” noting that political challenges often accompany strong opposition platforms.
The comments follow a ruling by the Court of Appeal of Nigeria that upheld an earlier judgment of the Federal High Court of Nigeria which nullified the outcome of the PDP’s national convention held in November 2025 in Ibadan.
The convention had produced Kabiru Tanimu Turaki as national chairman of the party.
The legal dispute has contributed to divisions within the party, alongside defections by some governors and lawmakers to other political parties.
These developments have intensified discussions about the PDP’s internal stability and political direction ahead of the next electoral cycle.
Pearse, who served on the 2023 presidential campaign committee of Atiku Abubakar and is convener of the Reset Lagos PDP group, said the party’s core supporters have remained loyal despite recent defections by some political office holders.
“The loss of some governors and lawmakers to the ruling party and other political parties does not show we are finished at all,” he said.
He also urged members of a factional caretaker committee linked to supporters of Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, to allow the party leadership space to resolve internal disputes.
Pearse expressed confidence that the PDP leadership aligned with Turaki would seek legal clarification at the Supreme Court, adding that the November 2025 convention reflected the collective decisions of party delegates from across the country.
As one of Nigeria’s major political parties, the PDP has historically played a central role in opposition politics.
Political developments within the party are closely watched because of their potential impact on the country’s political balance and electoral competition.
