The Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared that the party will never serve as an appendage of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), even as it continues to consolidate its position as a key opposition force, ENigeria Newspaper has gathered.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday while giving an update on the ongoing digital membership registration exercise, the National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, said that the PDP will continue to be a strong opposition worthy of fielding a strong candidate come next election.
“We call on Nigerians of good conscience to ignore persons who are clearly agents and proxies of the APC, masquerading as PDP members, whereas they have already endorsed President (Bola) Tinubu for a second term. The PDP is an opposition party and cannot and will not become an appendage of, or subservient to, the APC,” he said.
“Those who truly love and want to support the President should do well to leave other political parties and join the President’s party. Any political hybridization is impossible, especially with the PDP, as the umbrella and broom are not usually found together,” Ememobong added.
He went further to announce that the PDP had recorded a total of 4,264,675 registered members as of March 31. He described the numbers as a strong indication that Nigerians still regard the party as a credible political alternative, despite internal leadership disputes.
Ememobong noted that the exercise had attracted active participation from party agents across wards nationwide.
Reaffirming the Turaki-led National Working Committee’s commitment to rescuing the PDP from internal sabotage,
“We reassure all our supporters and Nigerians that the Kabiru Turaki-led National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party will continue to take all necessary steps to rescue our party from the claws of self-seeking anti-democratic forces who are determined to ‘hold’ our party for the APC. This shall not happen; neither shall it come to pass. PDP!”, he affirmed.
Additionally, the party disclosed information about the geographic distribution and demographics of its registered members. Nigeria’s 774 Local Government Areas comprise 8,809 wards, with an average of 24 members recorded in each polling unit and 484 members per ward.
ENigeria Newspaper findings showed that males made up 2,336,069 of all registered members, significantly outnumbering females (1,928,606). The party’s appeal across generations was demonstrated by the fact that 40.3% of registrants were young individuals between the ages of 18 and 40, 30.7% were between the ages of 41 and 60, and 28.9% were members 61 and older.
Regional representation showed the South West leading with 953,954 registered members, followed by the South South with 917,652, North Central at 757,502, North West at 754,935, North East with 646,305, and the South East at 234,327. A closer state-level breakdown revealed Kaduna topping the list with 408,915 members, Edo with 378,033, Oyo at 368,204, while Ogun and Kano recorded 316,311 and 275,786 respectively.
To encourage further participation, the Turaki-led faction announced the extension of the digital registration exercise to April 30, 2026.
“We need to reiterate that our registration is free, and the authentic website is iampdp.org”, Ememobong said.
