Turaki’s PDP Rules Out Alliance With APC, Warns Against ‘Electoral Monarchy’

The Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has ruled out an alliance with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections, warning that political arrangements supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election could threaten Nigeria’s multiparty democracy.

The faction stated its position in a statement issued on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary of the Interim National Working Committee, Ini Ememobong, amid growing disagreements within the PDP over the proposed Rainbow Coalition and support for Tinubu’s second-term bid.

The statement followed comments by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who reportedly urged members of a support group linked to Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara to work towards Tinubu’s re-election.

Rejecting the position, the Turaki-led faction argued that the responsibility of opposition parties was to provide Nigerians with an alternative to the ruling government rather than support its continued hold on power.

It maintained that any cooperation involving opposition parties should be directed towards building an alternative political platform, not endorsing the governing party.

The faction described the proposed arrangement as a threat to electoral democracy, warning that it could move the country towards what it called an “electoral monarchy.”

It also criticised what it described as political collaboration driven by elite interests, arguing that such arrangements could undermine genuine competition and weaken the choices available to voters.

The statement urged members it considered loyal to the faction to remain committed while awaiting the Court of Appeal’s decision in its leadership dispute. It said the case had been heard and expressed hope that the judiciary would resolve the disagreement.

The dispute comes amid divisions within the PDP over its leadership, electoral strategy and the extent to which members should cooperate with politicians supporting Tinubu’s re-election.

While Wike and some PDP-aligned politicians have backed arrangements favouring the President, the Turaki-led faction insists that its members should not abandon the party’s opposition role.

The disagreement highlights the challenges facing opposition parties as political actors begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 elections.

The Turaki faction also called on Nigerians to be cautious of what it described as elite accommodation and state capture disguised as broad-based political collaboration, urging voters to use the next election to hold political leaders accountable.

The PDP remains divided between rival leadership camps, making the dispute over alliances and electoral strategy part of a broader struggle over the party’s direction ahead of the next general elections.