How PDP dies quietly in Lagos and Kano
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) used to be the pillar of the political events and of course system in the northwestern state of Kano. Even though it normally fails to win polls in Lagos state, the PDP has always given a tough time to the party in power.
Surprisingly, the political party has faltered, dying or perhaps dead quietly and there is seemingly no meaningful or concerted efforts to rescue the former popular party in Nigeria. It has been a very bad time for the PDP.
The PDP has been looking for ways to get back to power in Kano State since 2015 when Mr. Umar Ganduje won the governorship election. The performance of the PDP was not that bad at that time. In fact, the party was close to taking over Kano State in 2019.
It’s the last minute efforts of Bola Tinubu that helped Ganduje to win his second term in office as the governor. One would normally expect the PDP to bounce back and improve on its last performance in the state.
However, the party has seriously and shockingly retrogressed in term of its popularity, which has drastically waned. The PDP came far third in the Kano State gubernatorial election. That is quite unusual and looks like something is out of place or control.
The party got 15,957 votes from the total of 1,977,872 votes cast in the governorship election. That means only 1 out of 10 electorate considered and did vote for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). That’s saddening.
The defection of top political figures might have contributed a lot to the misfiring of the PDP in Kano State. Yet it shouldn’t be that worse considering how the party had established itself in the strongest state (in term of voting).
Mr. Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s presidential candidate also came third in the 25 February general elections. He was behind a former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso and the president-elect Bola Tinubu.
The New Nigeria Political Party (NNPP) which Kwankwaso leads won the gubernatorial election by polling 1,019,602 votes. The NNPP had not surfaced by this time last year. And within that period, it won the hearts of the Kano State voters. The All Progressives Congress came second with slightly over 800,000 votes.
In Lagos State, it has been horrible for the PDP. But the 2023 general elections appear to be the end of the party totally. The PDP lost both the general and gubernatorial elections. The party came distant third in the race.
To make it funnier, the Labour Party, which started its struggle mid last year floored the PDP. The Labour Party won the presidential election to the chagrin of the All Progressives Congress and Bola Tinubu. What the main opposition party couldn’t do in at least 20 years has been done by the Labour Party.
LP mounted a serious pressure on the APC, launched a superb and at times vicious campaigns against the ruling party. The results are there to show the efforts put in place. The PDP came third in the Saturday, 18 March election has well.
Truly, it has been extremely difficult for the PDP to penetrate Lagos and dominate or control the commercial hub of the country. However, polling 62,449 votes out of over 1,000,000 is worse. The party had to trail behind the Labour Party candidate Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour, who had 312,329 votes.
The Iyorchia Ayu-led PDP cannot take the place of opposition anymore in the two biggest states (Kano and Lagos). The All Progressives Congress and the Labour Party ought to take the place now. The PDP is literally dead in the two key states.
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