By Atoyebi Nike
National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, has firmly rejected claims that he is planning to return to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), describing the party as “dead” and incapable of staging a comeback.
Ganduje was reacting to a statement made by former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, who predicted that the APC would collapse before the 2027 general elections, prompting defectors—including Ganduje—to return to the PDP.
Lamido had said on Sunday: “I’m confident that all those who left the PDP will return, including Ganduje, because very soon, the APC will burst and split into factions, having accommodated people with different mindsets.”
He added: “I said it, and I repeat: within six months, all those who defected to the APC will come back, and the PDP will rise with full force to wrest power in 2027.”
In a swift response issued on Monday in Abuja by his Press Secretary, Edwin Olofu, Ganduje dismissed Lamido’s statement as baseless and misleading.
“The PDP is dead. By the end of 2025, it will become extinct, given the internal crises plaguing it,” Ganduje said. “Instead of me rejoining the PDP, it is Sule Lamido who will soon find his way into the APC, because he won’t have anywhere else to go.”
Ganduje expressed confidence in the APC’s growing national appeal, attributing it to the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the influx of new political actors into the ruling party.
“With such overwhelming national support, the APC remains focused on consolidating its achievements and preparing for a resounding victory in the 2027 general elections,” he added.
The APC chairman reaffirmed his loyalty to the ruling party and his commitment to building a stronger democratic structure, urging Lamido to focus on fixing the internal divisions within the PDP rather than speculating about defections.