Moses Adeniyi
ABUJA — The deepening fissures within Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have once again been laid bare, as former Benue State Governor and G5 member, Samuel Ortom, offered an unapologetic justification for opposing the PDP and its 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. In a swift rebuttal, both Atiku and senior PDP figures dismissed Ortom’s claims as opportunistic and self-serving.
This new round of political recriminations is emblematic of the ideological and strategic disunity that plagued the PDP ahead of the 2023 general elections and continues to hamper its relevance as Nigeria’s foremost opposition party.
Ortom Defends G5’s Fallout
Speaking on Arise TV, Ortom claimed that the now-infamous G5 governors — comprising himself, Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) — acted in the name of equity, fairness, and justice. According to Ortom, the PDP’s failure to respect the principle of power rotation by fielding a northern candidate, Atiku, after eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari (also from the North), triggered their rebellion.
“We felt the presidency should alternate between North and South. When the party favoured a Northern candidate again, we deemed it unjust,” Ortom said.
Ortom, who chaired the PDP’s zoning committee ahead of the primaries, said that while the panel recommended an open contest, he personally supported a Southern presidential candidate and later backed Nyesom Wike’s bid for either the presidential ticket or the vice-presidential slot — both of which failed.
“Politics is about interest — community, personal, and national,” he said, defending the G5’s decision to throw their support behind opposition candidates such as Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 polls.
Atiku Hits Back: “Nothing Noble About G5’s Actions”
Atiku Abubakar, through his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, lashed out at Ortom and the G5, describing their rebellion as “a gamble rooted in ego and ambition, not justice.”
“The PDP’s zoning committee, chaired by Ortom himself, recommended an open contest. To now feign outrage is to play the ostrich,” Atiku’s camp stated.
It added that Atiku’s candidacy was not a regional imposition but a democratic outcome endorsed by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), of which Ortom was an active participant. Atiku further questioned the moral consistency of Ortom’s political alliances, asking how one can simultaneously endorse Obi and stand beside Wike, who supported Tinubu.
“This ideological hopscotch betrays not devotion to equity, but a desperate search for political relevance,” Shaibu argued.
PDP: Ortom’s Actions Were Self-Serving
The PDP leadership also criticised Ortom, with a senior member of the National Working Committee (NWC) accusing him of “acting out of personal interest, not principle.”
The NWC member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, recalled that Ortom played a central role in installing Senator Iyorchia Ayu — his kinsman from the same local government — as PDP National Chairman. He questioned why Ortom did not see this as a breach of the fairness he now advocates.
“There was no disagreement until Atiku emerged as the party’s candidate. Now Ortom claims to be a champion of equity? It’s all politics of convenience,” the party leader said.
He challenged Ortom and others in the G5 to show their commitment by returning to support the PDP ahead of 2027, now that the party is reportedly leaning towards zoning the ticket to the South.
“If they truly believe in party unity, they should stop playing solo politics,” he added.
Momodu Quits PDP: Another Blow to Opposition Unity
Amid the internal rift, former presidential aspirant Dele Momodu tendered his resignation from the PDP, citing the party’s hijack by “anti-democratic forces.” In a letter dated 17 July 2025, Momodu confirmed he had joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which he described as a coalition party for progressives disillusioned with the PDP.
“It is honourable to abandon the carcass of the party while the majority of us sign up with a new coalition,” Momodu wrote.
His departure marks another high-profile defection from a party still reeling from its 2023 electoral defeat and the lingering aftermath of its fractured primaries.
Analysis: A Party in Search of Its Soul
The latest episode of public sparring among PDP heavyweights underscores a broader issue — the party’s struggle to forge a unified identity and rebuild trust. The G5 rebellion revealed fault lines that were not merely strategic but ideological. The post-2023 fallout shows that those fault lines have only widened.
While Ortom and others defend their actions as principled, the inconsistency in their political endorsements — moving from Obi to Tinubu — paints a picture of realpolitik at its most raw. On the other hand, Atiku and the PDP leadership’s defence of party processes may ring hollow to those who view the outcome as tone-deaf to Nigeria’s North-South political sensibilities.
As the 2027 elections approach, PDP faces a defining moment: to either close ranks and re-establish its credibility or continue its descent into factionalism and political irrelevance. The G5 saga may have started as a protest for equity, but its legacy might be that of the final nail in the coffin of PDP unity — unless the party undergoes meaningful reform and reconciliation.