Engineer Conrad Terhide Utaan, a national chairmanship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Benue State, has raised alarm over the party’s worsening internal crisis, warning that the PDP risks total collapse if urgent reforms are not undertaken.
Utaan declared that the faction loyal to former Rivers State Governor and current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, is effectively operating from within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), while the PDP leadership struggles to resolve internal divisions.
Speaking on the growing crisis within the party, Utaan urged PDP governors to show greater courage in addressing the leadership issues surrounding acting National Chairman Umar Damagum and National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu.
He stressed the need for urgent reconciliation between the Atiku Abubakar and Nyesom Wike factions.
“If the Atiku bloc exits, there will be nothing left. The Wike bloc is already embedded in the APC,” Utaan cautioned.
On his part, Dr. Sam Amadi, director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, added that the party cannot maintain its credibility as an opposition force while high-profile members openly support the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He said: “To be a credible opposition, the PDP must expel members working for President Tinubu’s re-election. “You can’t have a leading opposition figure actively campaigning for the incumbent president. It makes the PDP look like a joke.”
He called on PDP governors to assert leadership and clean house, warning that failure to act could render the party irrelevant ahead of the 2027 general elections.