APC has hijacked PDP, rendered it toothless – Dino Melaye
Former Senator for Kogi West, Dino Melaye, has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has lost its independence and is now operating under the control of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking during an appearance on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, Melaye alleged that PDP’s operations are now influenced directly from the presidential villa. He described the opposition party as a “department” of the APC, lacking the will or structure to mount a meaningful challenge.
“PDP has been purchased by APC,” Melaye said. “It is now a parastatal under APC. Even the dates for their NEC and NWC meetings are decided from the Villa.”
Melaye, who recently defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said the current PDP governors no longer act like members of an opposition party and accused them of passively supporting the APC.
He cited comments by a former Niger State governor, Babangida Aliyu, as further evidence of the PDP’s compromised position. “He said if we could tolerate Buhari for eight years, then we should tolerate Tinubu for another four. Is that the voice of an opposition leader?”
Melaye noted that his decision to leave the PDP stemmed from its inability to offer Nigerians a credible alternative to the APC. According to him, the country is facing “precarious times” that demand genuine opposition, not collaboration.
The former lawmaker had contested the Kogi State governorship on the PDP platform in 2023 but lost. His latest remarks reflect growing discontent among some former PDP members who accuse the party of abandoning its role as a watchdog and counterbalance in Nigeria’s democracy.
