Former Governor of Benue State, Senator Gabriel Suswam, has said that the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with a 50 – 50 survival chance.
He added that the survival of the party will be determined by the outcome of the Strategy and Way Forward Committee recently constituted by governors elected on the platform of the party to create a rancour free National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting and National Convention.
Suswan said that if the party’s leadership fails to make concrete efforts to address the lingering crisis rocking the party, PDP may die before the 2027 election.
Speaking in a monitored media chat on Tuesday, Suswan said the opposition party is currently in the Intensive Care Unit and may die if the right medicine is not applied.
He however, said that just like any patient in an intensive care unit, there is a 50–50 survival chance, adding that if the Saraki-led effort failed, the PDP might cease to exist.
“A lot of people are hanging on, waiting to see the ultimate end of this party.
“Whether there is light at the end of the tunnel in the efforts made by Senator Saraki will be seen in the next two weeks. For now, I would say that PDP, is it in the hospital? Yes. Is it in ICU? To some extent yes, it is. Can it be rescued? Yes, if the proper medicine is applied” the former Benue state governor said.
He lamented that PDP is battling an internal crisis over its national secretary position and on the other hand, the party is unsettled by the conflict between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike and the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara.
He said many party members are disenchanted and want to see the PDP’s ultimate end.
Suswam added that the recent effort by PDP governors and ex-governors, led by former Senate President Bukola Saraki, to rescue the party would determine whether there would be light at the end of the tunnel.
The PDP Governors Forum and former governors who are still members of the party had last Sunday after its meeting in Abuja, named former Senate President Bukola Saraki as the head of a seven-member Strategy and Way Forward Committee.
Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State said that the seven-member committee is mandated to reconcile aggrieved members ahead of the PDP National Executive Committee meeting scheduled for May 27 and the forthcoming national convention in August.
