PDP now an empty house, key figures have all moved on, says NNPP chieftain

The Chairman of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in Kano State, Hashim Dungurawa, has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reached its political end, describing the once-prominent opposition party as “an empty house.”

Speaking to journalists in Kano, Dungurawa argued that the recent wave of defections involving top PDP figures to other political platforms such as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is clear evidence of the party’s diminishing relevance in the country’s political space.

He said, “How can a serious party allow its own presidential candidate to leave the party? It means the party is not in place. And how can the party also allow its own vice presidential candidate to go to another party again? Are you not aware that Okowa has joined APC now, while Atiku is in ADC?”

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Dungurawa claimed that PDP’s disintegration has become increasingly apparent following the defection of Atiku Abubakar and his former running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa, among other key players.According to him, PDP has completely lost ground in Kano State.

He stated, “There is no PDP in Kano State. Even to see an APC person in Kano is difficult. There’s only one party in Kano State. We have NNPP as a party and we have Kwankwasiyya as an organisation where people are trooping into.”

Responding to claims by PDP members in Kano that the party is regaining its strength and reorganizing to reclaim its position, Dungurawa dismissed such assertions as mere rhetoric.

He quipped, “You are bouncing to come back to the field or you are bouncing to go out of the field. So, they (PDP) are bouncing to go out of the field. They are nowhere to be found. By physical, by analysis, by the personalities they put in place as the leaders of the party. It tells they are not ready to come back to Kano and even in Nigeria as a party.”

Drawing from his own past experience within the PDP, Dungurawa recalled his time as Vice Chairman in Kano North, a position he said gave him insight into the internal workings and challenges of the party.

“Because if you could remember, some two years back, I remained the Vice Chairman of the party here in Kano State, Kano North. And by inclination, I happen to be the Principal Officer of the party. And whatever decision is taken, either in the state or in the national, we must be around because the city will acquire it.”

He attributed the party’s decline to poor leadership and misplaced priorities. “Till then, I understand that PDP will not go anywhere. Because leadership, they are not out for victory but for victimisation. They are out for witch-hunting. They are out for mischief. They are out for sycophancy.”

Dungurawa emphasized that influential figures have left the party, and those remaining are politically insignificant. “Nobody is doing PDP for its success. That is why we look at them and say, are they the people that are going to manage the party?”

Citing the movement of top PDP members to other parties, he pointed out what he sees as structural failure within the PDP. “And the issue of ADC, that is enough to tell you that PDP is not organized. It’s not in place. I think the Atiku you just mentioned now who joined the ADC is from the PDP.”

He added, “So, if you want to mention PDP structure or people that are influential in PDP, who are they? You will start with the presidential candidate. Atiku, he is no longer there. His vice, Okowa is no longer there. Even the people that conducted the primaries before the 2023 general election, Amaechi, is now in ADC. Wike is there. He is now partly in PDP, partly in APC. This is to tell you that they are now left with empty house.”

Concluding, Dungurawa asserted that those who remain in PDP have no real political direction or ambition. “So, nobody left in PDP now. Only people that has nothing to do with their this and that. That’s why you find them there.”