A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kola Ologbondiyan, has alleged that governors elected on the party’s platform are being harassed and pressured to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ologbondiyan made this claim while speaking on *Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily* on Tuesday. He said the harassment is part of a wider strategy by the APC to weaken the PDP ahead of the 2027 general elections.
His statement follows a recent closed-door meeting between President Bola Tinubu, the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, and former governor and current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike. After the meeting, the three were seen smiling in a photo, sparking concerns over the political implications for the PDP.
Earlier this year, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State due to the political rift between Fubara and Wike, suspending the governor, his deputy, and the State House of Assembly.
In recent weeks, two PDP governors Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State and Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom—have dumped the party for the APC, citing internal crisis and instability in the PDP as their reason.
Ologbondiyan, however, dismissed that explanation, insisting the defections were not voluntary. “They are being humiliated, and whether they can openly say it or not, they are being forced to abandon their party and join the APC,” he said.
He admitted that the intervention by President Tinubu in the Rivers political conflict was a blow to the PDP, but urged the party to move on and work to protect its remaining governors from further political pressure.
