The ruling All Progressives Congress APC that many people were running to would implode into crisis as it lacks the capacity to field candidates for elections.
Former Senate President Dr Bukola Saraki, made the postulation in an interview the DAILY TRUST published on Sunday.
Saraki said the APC doesn’t have the capacity to accommodate all of the defectors at the end of the day when it comes to electing candidates.
He denied that he was working in cohort with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike to ensure that the APC had its way at the general elections, and vowed that he would not leave the PDP.
He said holding a national convention on Sunday is the only outlet left for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to participate in the 2027 general elections.
Saraki, however did not say what the implications are should the PDP not hold its conversations, he, however declared his support for the the event being staged by the faction of the party under the leadership of FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Wike vowed that the convention is holding today at the Mashood Abiola Stadium in Abuja.
Two days ago he led the retinue of the Abdullahi Mohammed-led National Caretaker Committee to inspect the stadium preparatory to the convention.
Saraki emphasised that today’s national convention is the only opportunity the PDP has to clear its path towards participating in the 2027 general elections.
The former Governor of Kwara State who said he does not belong to any of the factions, said he fully supports the convention which starts today so that those who want to run for elections on the platform of the PDP in 2027 can do so.
According to Saraki, the national convention can take place even with the ongoing case instituted by the Tanimu Turaki-led faction in the Supreme Court, adding that there was the need for the PDP to get its acts right and field candidates for various elective positions including the presidency.
He said “we cannot be driven by issue of personality. We should be driven by our objectives. There are people across the country that want to contest for various positions and have in the last three years spent their little resources and want to contest in the PDP, particularly the younger generation, so anything that would make PDP the platform to provide that, is where I am.
“I believe that the most important thing for the PDP is to ensure it is in the ballot for 2027,” he stated, stressing that anything short of that would deny many who believe in the party the chance to contest.
“Despite all we are doing, at the end of the day, what is important is for democracy and for the party itself. There are members of the party who want to contest elections on the platform of the party and anything that will make that to happen and bring that to reality is where I belong.”
Recalling the Ibadan convention which he said he gave it a benefit of doubt, Saraki divulged that
“Some of us had our reservations, we said, ‘don’t go to Ibadan to do an elective convention, it will not work out.’ A convention where we have already seen that INEC was not going to be part of it and as such there would be a big question mark. But we were given the assurance that INEC was going to be there.”
The former Senate President said he personally sponsored delegates from Kwara State for the Ibadan convention so that if INEC officials resolved to be part of the process, his people would not be left out, adding that when it was evident that INEC would not monitor the convention, the Kwara delegates returned home.
He said PDP can boast of chances at the general elections, predicting that
