APC Mocks PDP Convention As ‘Political Funeral’, Says Opposition Has Slipped Into Irrelevance
The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has dismissed the Peoples Democratic Party’s national convention in Ibadan as a political funeral marked by controversy, boycotts and low turnout, insisting the opposition party has become irrelevant.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the party’s spokesperson, Oluseye Oladejo, said the gathering was a “charade” that exposed the PDP’s deepening crisis.
He described the convention as a “valedictory service” following the absence of several PDP governors and senior stakeholders.
The Lagos APC also pointed to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s refusal to monitor the exercise, calling it the final confirmation that the event was illegitimate.
“The spectacle that unfolded at the so-called 2026 PDP National Convention – an event trumpeted as a rebirth but which, in reality, resembled a political obsequies for a once-dominant party now trapped in irreversible decline.
“What transpired was nothing but a charade – a poorly scripted show of confusion and desperation, an embarrassment to the political class, and a new low for an erstwhile national party that once wore the toga of invincibility and gripped the nation’s political space by the jugular. Those glory days are clearly over,” the statement read.
Despite the controversies, the PDP elected a new national leadership at the event.
Former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Kabiru Turaki, emerged as national chairman with 1,516 votes.
His rival, Katsina governorship candidate Lado Danmarke, who had earlier withdrawn, still received 275 votes.
Announcing the results, Senator Ben Obi said 1,834 votes were cast with 43 voided.
He added that 3,131 delegates participated in the convention and 2,745 were accredited.
Seventeen positions were filled unopposed, while elections for the youth leader and deputy national legal adviser were stepped down.
Turaki’s emergence aligns with the party’s decision to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South.
However, the Lagos APC said the leadership changes could not mask what it called a “rudderless” and “comatose” opposition that had failed to offer Nigerians a credible alternative.
“Today’s PDP is no longer a national institution – it is a refuge for internally displaced politicians, career defectors, and political daydreamers struggling for survival. Nigerians are not confused: a party that cannot manage itself cannot offer leadership to a nation,” Oladejo said.
The convention was attended by Governors Bala Mohammed, Caleb Mutfwang, Ahmadu Fintiri, Dauda Lawal and former acting national chairman Umar Damagum.
But Governors Ademola Adeleke, Siminalayi Fubara and Agbu Kefas stayed away without official explanations.
According to the APC, the boycott by some governors and delegates from several states showed that even core PDP members were distancing themselves from the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
“Without unnecessarily pre-empting the outcome, it is indeed an endgame. The PDP’s internal disarray has already written a preface to its political obituary – the rest is merely a matter of time,” the statement added.
The Lagos APC concluded that while the ruling party was strengthening institutions under President Bola Tinubu, the PDP was conducting “the funeral rites of its own relevance”.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
