- PDP accused APC of using security agencies to intimidate opposition members during by-elections in Kaduna and Taraba states.
- Ologunagba alleged prominent PDP leaders were unlawfully arrested in Taraba and Kaduna, describing the process as anti-democratic and unfair.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared that the 2027 elections will be a referendum on hunger, hardship and insecurity.
The party accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of weaponising poverty and worsening the economic struggles of Nigerians.
At a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, the national publicity secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, said Nigerians had become wiser and would not re-elect the APC.
Ologunagba said, “Nigerians are wiser now; what will be on the ballot is hunger, insecurity, and uncertainty — things no money can buy.”
He claimed that life was better under the PDP, adding that farmers once accessed fertiliser with mobile phones, unlike under the APC.
He further alleged that security agencies were deployed against PDP members during the by-elections in Kaduna and Taraba states.
“On the night of that election, all prominent members of the PDP were arrested. Flip over to Taraba state. Prominent members, including elected members of our party, were arrested,” he said.
The PDP spokesman argued that what transpired in those elections was not credible, warning that Nigerians would resist a repeat in 2027.
He added, “What happened in those by-elections, which they call an election, will not occur in 2027. Why? The reason is that Nigerian people are wiser.”
The PDP also announced that its national convention would be held in Ibadan, Oyo State, from November 15 to 16, 2025.
According to Ologunagba, the convention organising committee led by the governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Fintiri, had been inaugurated, while sub-committees were already working.
“The PDP is very ready for Ibadan, as this will showcase our capacity to defend democracy and prove once again that we are truly the people’s party,” he added.
Reacting to reports of a parallel convention being planned by allies of the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, Ologunagba dismissed the claim as “hallucinatory”.
He insisted that the party was following due process, noting that the Independent National Electoral Commission had been part of every stage of preparations.
“The venue committee is already working ahead of time. Even before the inauguration of those sub-committees, they’re already working,” he said.
Ologunagba maintained that the PDP was methodical in its processes, stressing that the train had already “moved on”.