Two Northern Governors to Leave PDP - Fayose Reveals

Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has hinted that two governors from Northern Nigeria are preparing to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), blaming the impending defections on what he calls “decay in leadership” within the party’s hierarchy.

Speaking during an interview on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, Fayose lamented that the PDP’s problems stem from the top, warning that the party was heading toward further disintegration if urgent reforms were not implemented.

“The PDP is rotting from the head, not the body,” Fayose declared. “When the top of an organisation fails, no effort from below can save it. Our party’s leadership has become its greatest weakness.”

The former governor, known for his blunt political stance, criticised what he described as years of internal disunity and weak direction that have crippled the party’s influence nationwide. 

He explained that he had long cautioned PDP leaders about the dangers of neglecting internal reform but that his warnings were ignored.

“I’ve never deceived Nigerians about the true state of our party,” Fayose continued. 

“I remain a loyal PDP member, but I cannot deny that the party is in serious trouble. The leadership must accept responsibility for our steady decline.”

Fayose also reminded viewers of his earlier prediction that several governors would defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), asserting that his warning was already materialising. 

According to him, the governors of Bayelsa, Enugu, and Taraba have already moved to the APC, a development he said signals deeper cracks within the opposition party.

“In just a few weeks, we’ve seen major figures leaving the PDP,” he said. “The governor of Bayelsa was once the head of our screening committee, yet he’s gone. Enugu and Taraba have followed. This shows the rot has spread.”

He further claimed that the next wave of defections would come from the North, revealing that the Plateau State Governor was on the verge of crossing to the APC. 

Fayose added that another northern governor would soon follow suit, stressing that the mass exodus was proof of the PDP’s deep-seated crisis.

“Mark my words,” he warned, “the Plateau governor will soon leave, and another one from the North will follow. I’ll remind Nigerians when it happens.”

Meanwhile, political observers have linked the ongoing defections to internal wrangling over control of the party’s structure ahead of the 2027 general elections. 

Many within the PDP reportedly share Fayose’s concern that the lack of decisive leadership could weaken the party’s standing as Nigeria’s main opposition.

Fayose’s remarks have reignited debate over the PDP’s future, as analysts argue that unless the leadership addresses its internal fractures, the opposition may face a greater political collapse in the coming months.