PDP Slams Tinubu’s Speech While Party Tears Itself Apart Ahead of Ibadan Convention

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday lashed out at President Bola Tinubu’s Independence Day address, calling it “pathetic, boring and uninspiring.” But even as the opposition party tried to project itself as a voice of accountability, deepening internal divisions and power struggles within its ranks continue to expose its own fragility ahead of its November convention.

Speaking at a news conference in Abuja, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, dismissed Tinubu’s 65th independence anniversary speech as empty rhetoric.

“The speech, to say the least, was pathetic, boring and uninspiring. Typical of the APC’s propaganda, it was full of lies and poor statistics,” Ologunagba said.

He added: “Even the President didn’t believe in what he was reading. He was saying things that were completely incorrect. The whole speech was at variance with the reality on the ground.”

The PDP spokesman expressed shock at Tinubu’s claim that the economy had improved under his administration. “The President saying the economy is working and has turned the corner. That was shocking. Is he talking about turning the corner on insecurity, the corner on parents not being able to pay school fees?” he asked.

According to Ologunagba, the APC government has dragged Nigerians back into “bondage,” citing mounting debt and worsening living conditions despite trillions saved from subsidy removal. “Nigerians and the PDP, we seek a special broadcast on the details of the subsidy removal, details of loans and the application of those loans,” he insisted.

Convention Distractions and Internal Feud

Yet while criticising the APC, the PDP itself is mired in a leadership storm that has left the party fractured. The elective convention scheduled for November 15–16 in Ibadan is now being overshadowed by battles between the National Working Committee (NWC) led by acting Chairman Umar Damagum and the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.

The feud reached a boiling point when the NWC postponed state congresses in Cross River, Plateau, and Kebbi. But Anyanwu, in open defiance, wrote to INEC asking it to ignore the NWC directive. The congress in Cross River went ahead, returning Mr Venatius Ikem as state chairman. The NWC swiftly disowned the exercise, describing it as a “carnival.”

Similarly, when the NWC dissolved the Akwa Ibom State executive council this week, Anyanwu again countered the decision, instructing the sacked exco to remain in office.

Ologunagba tried to downplay the crisis, insisting Anyanwu was overstepping his bounds.

“So, the secretary can’t summon meetings or authorise any meetings. If the party says there is no Congress in Cross River or a dissolution of an Exco, why should an individual oppose it?” he asked, citing Section 35 of the PDP constitution which empowers the chairman, not the secretary, to convene meetings.

Akwa Ibom Flashpoint

The crisis in Akwa Ibom has added fuel to the fire. Governor Umo Eno, who recently defected to the APC, is accused of trying to retain influence over the PDP structure in the state. According to Ologunagba, this violates Section 10(6) of the PDP constitution, which forbids members from aligning with another party to undermine the PDP.

Governor Eno, however, has been unapologetic. In a leaked video, he revealed plans to control both APC and PDP structures for the sake of “unity.”

“As a matter of fact, contrary to some insinuations, I want to run both parties (APC and PDP)? Far from it. And what is wrong with being interested? We would not leave the PDP for thieves to hijack and use it against us. If anybody thinks we are going to do that, they have something coming. We will lead the structure of the party (PDP) so that they can work together (with APC),” Eno declared.

A Party in Disarray

Despite Ologunagba’s insistence that the convention will go ahead — “the train has arrived in Ibadan; we are far ahead of the distractions” — the public wrangling between its top leaders has once again exposed the PDP’s chronic instability.

Observers note that while the party attacks Tinubu for “lies and propaganda,” its own contradictions — leaders defecting while holding onto PDP structures, NWC decisions openly flouted by its secretary, and rival letters to INEC — paint a picture of a party struggling to govern itself, let alone challenge the APC in 2027.