Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has pointed fingers at the PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and Senator Aminu Tambuwal for the current state of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, January 9, 2026, Fayose described the party as being in a state of “near-collapse” due to internal betrayals and poor leadership decisions. He specifically criticized the 2022 primary process where Tambuwal stepped down for Atiku, a move he claims deepened the divisions that led to the formation of the G5 governors and the party’s subsequent electoral defeat.
“Atiku destroyed the PDP, Tambuwal destroyed the PDP, and Ayu destroyed it,” Fayose stated, referring to former National Chairman Iyorchia Ayu. He argued that the party’s refusal to honor its internal power-rotation principle was the “original sin” that made the PDP a shadow of its former self. Despite the criticism, Fayose reaffirmed his membership in the PDP but maintained that his decision to support President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 election was a matter of conviction. “Openly, I supported Asiwaju Tinubu… and I didn’t hide it. Till now, I am still there. I am not a member of the APC, and I will never be,” he declared.
Fayose also touched on the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State, revealing that he had a “premonition” about the fallout between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike. He recalled telling Fubara on the day of his inauguration not to betray Wike, though he admitted he never expected the conflict to escalate to its current level. The former governor’s comments come at a time when several high-profile PDP members, including Governors Peter Mbah and Douye Diri, have recently defected to the APC, further fueling fears that the main opposition party is becoming irrelevant ahead of the 2027 cycle.
