The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has on June 5, 2025, launched a fierce and controversial critique of the All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing the ruling party of indulging in political self-congratulation over recent defections while millions of Nigerians endure the worst economic and security crises in a generation.
At a press conference in Abuja on June 5, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, lambasted the APC for what he described as “tone-deaf triumphalism,” arguing that the party’s obsession with political defections is a cynical distraction from its catastrophic governance failures
Ologunagba’s remarks come at a time when Nigeria faces unprecedented hardship.
According to recent reports, at least 13 million Nigerians are expected to fall into poverty in 2025 due to soaring inflation, a collapsing naira, and spiraling food insecurity
The PDP spokesman pointedly asked, “How can a government celebrate the defection of politicians as proof of good governance while ordinary Nigerians are struggling to survive?
People are crying out that they’re dying, that life is unbearable, yet the APC remains numb and unresponsive.”
He further asserted that the APC’s fixation on defections is not only insensitive but also exposes a deeper agenda.
“When you find the president of a country in a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural country like Nigeria declaring his preference for a one-party state, that shows that they continue to aggressively attack the processes of other political parties.
Some of those defections are not passed on conviction; it’s based on coercion because of the stated policy and the intention of the president to say he wants a one-party state. That’s an illusion that is not going to happen.”
The PDP’s criticism is not without context. In the last two years, Nigeria has witnessed a surge in violent conflict, with over 20,000 casualties reported from terrorism, banditry, and communal clashes.
Food insecurity is at an all-time high, with 33 million people projected to face acute hunger in 2025.
The government’s economic policies, including the controversial removal of fuel subsidies, have failed to deliver promised relief.
Instead, the administration is now seeking a $24.5 billion loan an act the PDP calls a betrayal of earlier pledges to end Nigeria’s borrowing spree.
Ologunagba did not mince words: “They told Nigerians that fuel subsidy was removed so the government would stop borrowing and instead invest in programs to cushion the effect of the policy.
Now they want to borrow $24.5 billion for that same purpose. Where is the money saved from subsidy removal?”
He accused the government of economic hypocrisy and of running on propaganda while Nigerians continue to suffer.
“The question every Nigerian is asking is simple: ‘Am I better off than I was two years ago?’ The answer is clear to everyone we are all in the same market.”
The PDP also took aim at the National Assembly, accusing lawmakers of abdicating their constitutional role by rubber-stamping executive requests instead of holding the government accountable.
“The National Assembly is supposed to interrogate executive actions, but they’re failing.
The Senate President has become a choirmaster, singing praises while the people suffer,” Ologunagba said.
On the internal front, Ologunagba dismissed claims that the PDP’s 99th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting was illegal, framing it as a bold stand against what he described as Tinubu’s “dangerous” push for a one-party state.
“Our NEC meeting was a strong message that Nigerians still want democracy, and they look to the PDP as a credible opposition.
We are a party governed by structures and the rule of law. No one owns the PDP,” he stated.
He emphasized that the 2027 general elections would not be determined by the parade of defectors but would serve as a national referendum on President Bola Tinubu’s record a record the opposition says is defined by rising poverty, unchecked violence, and a government deaf to the people’s suffering.
“The election of 2027 will not be about who defected or didn’t defect. It will be about the failure of the APC.
About the hunger in the land, the killings, and the lack of leadership. Nigerians are watching and will respond,” Ologunagba declared.
The PDP’s rhetoric is a direct challenge to the APC’s narrative.
While the ruling party has admitted that its economic reforms have caused hardship, it insists these are necessary sacrifices to reset the economy for future growth.
However, critics argue that the APC’s policies have only deepened Nigeria’s woes, with over 100 million people now living on less than $2 a day.
As the countdown to 2027 begins, the PDP is positioning itself as the only credible alternative to what it calls APC’s “misguided policies and propaganda.
The opposition party warns that the ruling party’s celebration of defections is not just tone-deaf but a dangerous attempt to mask the reality of a nation in crisis.
With the stakes higher than ever, Nigeria’s next election is shaping up to be less about political realignment and more about a public reckoning with the failures or successes of those in power
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