Sowunmi Dismisses PDP ‘Underdog’ Status, Cites 27-Year Legacy as 2027 Key

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain Segun Sowunmi has sent a clear message to political analysts and rivals alike: it is a grave error to dismiss the PDP’s prospects for the 2027 general elections. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Sowunmi argued that despite the internal fractures and leadership crises that have plagued the party since 2023, the PDP retains a “groundswell” of grassroots support that few other institutions can match. He described the party as a “27-year asset” in Nigerian politics, suggesting that its institutional memory and deep-rooted influence will eventually override current instabilities.

The veteran politician urged patience, noting that the PDP is currently navigating a complex period of legal battles and internal restructuring. He emphasized that the real test would come when the official “whistle” for the 2027 campaign is blown. For Sowunmi, once the party resolves its ongoing court cases and achieves a measure of internal stability, the sheer scale of its national reach will become evident. While stopping short of guaranteed victory, he insisted that the party’s historical slogan of “Power” is not a hollow phrase but a reflection of its enduring capacity to mobilize and compete at the highest level.

However, Sowunmi’s confident outlook for the party comes at a time of significant personal and symbolic loss for the PDP family. On the same day as his interview, Abubakar Atiku Abubakar, the son of the former Vice President and 2023 PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, officially defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The younger Atiku, widely known as “Abba,” made his move public at the National Assembly, where he was formally received by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin and key APC leaders from the North-East.

The defection of such a high-profile figure—whose father co-founded and twice led the PDP into presidential battles—serves as a stark reminder of the “home-front” challenges facing the party. Abba Atiku Abubakar cited both personal and historic reasons for his decision to switch allegiance, signaling a significant shift in his family’s long-standing political trajectory. In a move that underscored his commitment to the new alignment, he directed the coordinators and members of his political structure, the Haske Atiku Organisation, to immediately collapse into the APC and support President Bola Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” agenda.

This development highlights the dichotomy currently defining the Nigerian opposition. While leaders like Sowunmi point to the PDP’s long-term assets and historical resilience, the departure of key young influencers suggests a growing attraction to the ruling party’s platform. The Lagos APC has already framed Abba’s move as a “generational statement,” suggesting that the youth within traditional political dynasties are increasingly looking for stability and new ideological directions away from their parents’ affiliations.

As the PDP continues to grapple with its internal legal disputes, the pressure is mounting for the party to prove Sowunmi’s “groundswell” theory correct. The departure of influential members to the APC suggests that the ruling party is successfully encroaching on the PDP’s traditional strongholds. Sowunmi’s defense of the party’s relevance serves as a rallying cry for the faithful, but the actual electoral map heading into 2027 will depend on the PDP’s ability to stem the tide of high-profile defections and present a unified front.

The coming months will likely be a period of intense soul-searching for the former ruling party. With its 2023 presidential candidate’s own son now wearing the APC broom, the PDP faces a credibility test that transcends mere statistics. Sowunmi’s insistence that you “can never rule them out” will be put to the ultimate test as the 2027 cycle approaches and the party attempts to turn its 27-year legacy into a modern winning strategy.