Nigerians yearn for PDP’s return in 2027- Turaki

The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kabiru Turaki, has said Nigerians are “yearning” for the opposition party to return to power in the 2027 general elections.

Turaki made the assertion on Tuesday in Abuja while addressing former governors and ministers who are members of the party. He described the PDP’s 16 years in government between 1999 and 2015 as a “glorious” period in Nigeria’s democratic history.

According to him, the party must reconnect with Nigerians and re-engage its experienced leaders to reclaim power at both the national and sub-national levels.

“Beyond taking this party back to Nigerians, who are its rightful owners, we must have a critical interface with the men and women whose work, sacrifice and selfless service to the fatherland distinguished the PDP as the first party to win elections back-to-back, four times in Nigeria,” Turaki said.

He stressed that the PDP would need to adopt a different approach if it is to succeed in 2027, noting that the party’s years in office were marked by significant policy achievements and infrastructural development.

Turaki said the PDP’s legacy remained visible across the country, even a decade after leaving office.

“It is on record that the PDP grew the Nigerian economy, pulled the country out of a debt burden, built critical infrastructure and strengthened institutions. These institutions continue to support governance today in areas such as project execution, monitoring and the fight against corruption,” he added.

Speaking on behalf of former PDP governors, Babangida Aliyu, a former governor of Niger State, accused the federal government of using state institutions to suppress opposition voices.

“The relentless poaching of opposition figures and the weaponisation of state institutions to intimidate dissenting voices are clear indicators that Nigeria is sliding dangerously towards a one-party state,” Aliyu said. “This is not only a threat to the PDP but a direct assault on the democratic freedoms of every Nigerian.”

Also speaking at the meeting, former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau, who represented ex-ministers who served during the PDP years in power, urged party members to remain united and focused on nation-building.

“I look around this room and see the architects of modern Nigeria. Do not be distracted by the noise, and do not relent, because you have done more than expected,” Shekarau said.