PDP’s loss of Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Delta States may help APC’s cause in 2027 | It’s too early to worry about funding, says Bayelsa PDP
Indications have emerged that the opposition may struggle with funding its electioneering activities ahead of the 2027 general elections, following the mass defection of its governors to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Checks by LEADERSHIP Sunday show that before now, the opposition—especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)—controlled most of the oil-producing states in the Niger Delta, which for years financed the bulk of the party’s activities, particularly during pivotal presidential contests.
However, since the beginning of this year, governors controlling these crucial states have defected to the APC, leaving the opposition in a position many party insiders describe as a financial chokehold.
The governors who dumped the PDP for the APC include Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Peter Mbah (Enugu), and Douye Diri (Bayelsa). Their defection is more consequential than previous waves because each governor left with the state’s full party structure—executive committee members, state and federal legislators, and local political machinery.
Notably, these states had been PDP strongholds since 1999, forming the backbone of the party’s relevance and its claim to national dominance for nearly two decades.
At present, the APC controls 26 states while the PDP retains only seven. The Labour Party, All Progressives Grand Alliance and New Nigeria Peoples Party each control one state. Even more troubling for the PDP, insiders claim that four of the seven remaining PDP states are already “negotiating their way” to the ruling party.
During its golden years, the PDP boasted control of 28 states, a political armoury that guaranteed substantial resources for federal elections. Even after losing power at the centre in 2015, the party retained its lucrative Niger Delta assets, which allegedly bankrolled its 2019 and 2023 presidential aspirations.
The oil-rich states of Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa are known for receiving significant allocations from the Federation Account. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, between January and August 2025, these four states topped the list of FAAC beneficiaries.
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In the eight-month period, Delta State received ₦423.85 billion, the highest allocation nationwide. Rivers followed closely with ₦388.76 billion, while Akwa Ibom came third with ₦348.62 billion. Bayelsa ranked fourth with ₦306.88 billion. Lagos State, the nation’s commercial hub, placed fifth with ₦289.31 billion.
Although Rivers State is technically still a PDP state, recent political developments have effectively placed it in the APC camp. Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s defeat in the prolonged political battle with his predecessor, Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, has weakened the state’s PDP structure. Wike, now openly committed to working for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, is widely viewed as the de facto political authority in Rivers.
PDP Still Has Members with Deep Pockets to Fund It – Nwuke
Despite concerns about dwindling financial capacity, some party leaders argue that the PDP still has wealthy stakeholders capable of sustaining its operations.
A PDP leader in Rivers State, Hon. Ogbonna Nwuke, speaking to LEADERSHIP Sunday in Port Harcourt, insisted that prominent figures such as Nyesom Wike and others could still bankroll the party when necessary.
“What is critical at this time is how to get the party out of the woods. It hasn’t been easy getting here—the national convention, the tough stance, and all. Many are wondering why it took so long to take decisive actions,” Nwuke said.
“I would think that the question about funding may be linked to the movement of governors. Somehow, since we are equal founders and equal joiners of it, it would mean that party members would get together to fund the PDP.
“The PDP still has people with deep pockets who would put their money where their mouths are. It took a man like Wike to singularly fund the PDP. God may send the PDP another funder.”
But not everyone shares his optimism.
Former Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Dr Emma Okah, expressed doubts about the party’s ability to fund its 2027 election campaigns.
“I strongly believe that the PDP will eventually lose the South-South. For one simple reason: it will further expose Nigerians’ political behaviour.
“Secondly, it will now set the stage for an implosion in the new party, that is the Africa Democratic Congress (ADC). Unfortunately, that is where we are as a nation, and the people will continue to lose as it were. That is my calculation,” he said.
‘It’s Too Early to Worry About Funding’ – Bayelsa PDP
The PDP in Bayelsa State believes it is premature to raise the alarm about campaign funding for the 2027 elections. The party insists that internal disputes at the national level must be resolved first.
Speaking with LEADERSHIP Sunday in Yenagoa, the state Publicity Secretary, Hon. Ebiye Ogoli, explained that the party’s immediate concern is unity, not funding.
“In Bayelsa State, our governorship elections are not part of the normal election cycle. For us, we are yet to look at those issues because the national level is where everything flows from.
“So it is rather too early for now. Let’s see how the party is able to navigate what is happening there before the elections,” he said.
Ogoli stressed that the party is currently divided into two factions and must first restore internal harmony.
“Every family usually has quarrels and disagreements, so let’s pass through this disagreement stage first. We cannot talk about elections now. It will seem unintelligent knowing that you must first solve the problems,” he said.
Chief Pere Ekadi, another PDP leader in the state, supported this view.
“Once the national structure is stable, funding won’t be a problem. People are ready to support the party, but no one puts money into a house that is still under repair,” he warned.
PDP Crisis: Mixed Reactions from Factional Akwa Ibom Excos
Akwa Ibom remains one of the most troubled PDP chapters, with two parallel leadership structures claiming legitimacy: the elected Exco led by Elder Aniekan Akpan and the interim caretaker committee headed by Mr Igwat Umoren.
Although the main Exco was re-elected in 2024 for a four-year tenure, the NEC reportedly dissolved it and installed a caretaker committee. However, the factional National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, issued a counter-directive allowing Elder Akpan to remain in office.
In an interview, Elder Akpan insisted that Governor Umo Eno’s defection to the APC would not diminish PDP’s financial or political strength in the state.
“The PDP will come out stronger,” he declared, adding that he remained confident the party would field candidates in all positions and win convincingly in 2027.
But the interim faction accused Governor Eno of weakening the PDP intentionally to give the APC a smooth path in 2027.
“We have been crippled by the governor who reneged on his promise to run a unified party system,” Mr Ewa Ekpo, the faction’s spokesman, stated. “This discriminatory disposition aims at weakening the PDP for the APC to have an easy ride.”
We’re Rebuilding Delta PDP Ahead of 2027
Dr Michael Tidi, a PDP chieftain and immediate past Chairman of Warri South Local Government Area, said the party’s structures remain intact despite recent defections.
“Most of those who left were political appointees. But many core party faithful remained,” Tidi said, adding that some even resigned their government appointments in protest of the governor’s decision.
He said the PDP was intensifying its membership drive across the Warri axis and other areas to bolster its strength before 2027.
A vote of confidence was also passed in Elder Emmanuel Ogidi, the acting South-South Chairman, as party members pledged to work with him to rebuild the organisation.
Internal observers, however, warn that Chief James Ibori’s influence could create complications. One of his aides warned:
“Those who think he would not have a say in PDP affairs are joking. Even though he is close to the Presidency, he will not watch his structures dismantled.”
Campaign Funding Not an Obstacle – Ex-IPAC Chair
Former IPAC Chairman and current CUPP National Coordinator, Peter Ameh, dismissed the narrative that financial constraints will hinder credible political leadership in Nigeria.
He argued that Nigeria’s political culture wrongly assumes that funding must come from state resources or wealthy officeholders.
“This belief is part of a bandit corruption system,” he said.
He recalled how ordinary Nigerians financed Muhammadu Buhari’s 2015 presidential campaign, mobilising resources because they believed in his message.
“If Buhari in 2015 could fund his campaign through the help of Nigerians, then funding is not Nigeria’s problem,” Ameh said.
According to him, what the country needs is not state-sponsored campaign financing but credible candidates who inspire public support.
CISLAC Warns Against Equating Political Strength with Control of Rich States
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) warned that assuming political strength is tied to control of wealthy states is dangerous for the country’s democracy.
Its Senior Programme Officer, Gimba Suleiman, told LEADERSHIP Sunday that the expectation that oil-producing states should bankroll political parties is symptomatic of deeper structural decay.
“A state’s revenue profile is never meant to be a financial reservoir for partisan survival,” he said.
He argued that when political parties depend on high-revenue states for viability, democracy degenerates into “a resource-capture competition”, where public funds become political war chests rather than tools for development.
Suleiman said CISLAC has long advocated for reforms such as limits on political spending, stronger enforcement against illicit financing, and the creation of an Independent Electoral Offences Commission.
He warned that the ongoing wave of defections is driven by access to state resources rather than ideological shifts, undermining public trust.
“Decamping has become a tool for consolidating political capture. It erodes policy-based politics,” he said.
PDP Risks Extinction by 2027 if Crisis Persists – Analyst
Political science lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Dr Christian Okeke, warned that the internal crisis within the PDP poses a more serious danger than the loss of wealthy states.
“The concern is whether the party can recreate itself ahead of the next general elections or go into extinction by 2027,” Okeke said.
He blamed years of internal sabotage and miscalculations for the party’s current woes.
“It is clear some forces with vested interests have not repented from their resolve to leave the party in carcass,” he said.
However, Okeke noted that the party could still recover if leaders act decisively.
“Funding will not be a challenge once the party becomes stable. Those who remain will conveniently pull funds from resources at their disposal,” he said.
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