PDP Chieftain Aborisade Accuses APC of Intimidation, Warns Nigeria Drifting Toward One-Party State
A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and 2027 Oyo governorship aspirant, Barrister Chief Niyi Aborisade, has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of orchestrating a systematic intimidation campaign aimed at crippling the opposition and forcing PDP governors into its fold.
Aborisade faulted the recent wave of defections from the PDP, including that of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, describing it as an outcome of political pressure rather than genuine ideological alignment. He identified the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State on March 18, 2025, as a defining moment that triggered fear among opposition governors and signalled the Federal Government’s readiness to use state power to influence political outcomes.
According to him, the Federal Government’s actions in Rivers State created a climate of uncertainty that pushed governors to seek refuge in the APC to secure their political survival, particularly those seeking re-election. He argued that such manoeuvres represent a threat to Nigeria’s democratic structure and reflect a pattern of governance that resembles a veiled form of dictatorship.
Aborisade maintained that the opposition is being weakened deliberately through coercive tactics and covert operations, leading to mass defections that have reduced the number of PDP governors to only two Oyo State’s Seyi Makinde and Bauchi State’s Bala Mohammed. He warned that the trend poses the risk of turning Nigeria into a de facto one-party state and undermines the checks and balances required in a healthy democracy.
He insisted that the movement of governors into the APC will not influence the outcome of the 2027 elections. Instead, he said Nigerian citizens will judge the ruling party based on its performance, pointing to escalating fuel prices, rising food costs, the continuous fall of the naira, increasing hunger, insecurity, kidnappings, power shortages, soaring transport and airfare costs, and the growing perception of Nigeria as a struggling nation.
Aborisade argued that after more than a decade of APC leadership at the federal level, the country is in worse condition, with citizens facing unprecedented levels of hardship. He said Nigerians deserve better than the current situation and must resist any attempt to suppress multiparty democracy.
He described the APC’s strategy of poaching PDP governors as a move driven by fear of electoral accountability rather than genuine political superiority. He concluded that the dissatisfaction across the country suggests that Nigerians are likely to reject the ruling party at the polls in 2027.