BY
David .E
As Nigeria edges closer to the 2027 general elections, the Peoples Democratic Party says the coming vote is shaping up to be more than a conventional contest between parties, but a referendum on the daily struggles of the Nigerian people.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday, the PDP’s Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, presented the Certificate of Return to Chief Ezenwafor Jude, the party’s candidate for the upcoming Anambra State governorship election.
But beyond the local contest, Damagum used the occasion to highlight what he believes is the deeper meaning of the 2027 race.
This election in 2027 is not about how many governors you have or how many leaders. It’s about Tinubu and Nigerians,” Damagum stated, drawing a line between political leadership and the harsh realities faced by citizens under the current administration.
He described Nigeria as a country where daily survival has become a challenge for ordinary people and urged voters to see the polls as an opportunity to hold the government accountable.
The ordinary man is feeling the pain, and the decision is his. So I want to use this opportunity to tell Nigerians that it is their election. It is APC versus Nigerians.
It’s not APC versus any governor or senator or anything, but APC versus Nigerians. So I want to urge all of us to close ranks and rescue ourselves from this hardship that is inflicted on us by design, not by any coincidence”, he said.
Damagum’s comments come amid political shakeups within the PDP, especially following the high-profile defection of Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori and former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, along with the entire state executive council, to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Reflecting on the defection, the PDP leader expressed disappointment, noting the support Delta State had received from the party in recent years.
It’s very sad and unfortunate because to me, if there’s any state that should think that way, not Delta, because the party is very magnanimous.
I thank God that in their message, they didn’t say that the party did anything wrong to them other than good,” he remarked.
Damagum said the decision to switch allegiance might have been personal, but its emotional weight will linger with the party’s loyalists.
It’s a decision taken by them, but the pains will be in us, not because of anything, but because we have given Delta State all our support, from the emergence of the governor to his predecessor, who also doubled as our vice presidential candidate,” he explained.
I think we’ve done it all for them in Delta State. We least expected this action from them. All the same, this is a party that has seen more than that, but it’s still standing”, he concluded.
