The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has strongly criticized the withdrawal of some of its chairmanship candidates from the upcoming Abuja Area Council elections.
The party described the move as disgraceful and carried out without its authorization.
In a statement released on Friday by the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the NWC said it received news of the withdrawals “with utter dismay,” maintaining that the action was undemocratic and unacceptable.
The party maintained that democracy flourishes through open and competitive elections, not what it termed “forced or manipulated consensus,” arguing that the withdrawals signal a disturbing pattern in the lead-up to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) local council polls.
The PDP also accused certain individuals, whom it said were presenting themselves as party leaders, of attempting to undermine the party’s autonomy for the benefit of the President.
According to the statement, the withdrawals form part of a wider scheme to erode internal opposition strength ahead of future elections. The party added that these actions were among the reasons the individuals in question had previously been expelled, as part of efforts to reposition the PDP as a formidable opposition force ahead of the 2027 elections.
“As sad as this development is, it is a pointer to the type of voodoo democracy promoted by those parading as leaders of the PDP, whose only interest is to ‘hold’ the party for the President.
“This is a exactly what they intended to do to Nigerians, when close to the Presidential elections, they can compel, induce or cajole all the other candidates to step down or withdraw for the President to have a smooth sail back to Aso Rock Villa, despite the abysmal performance of his administration,” parts of the statement read.