A founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Professor Jerry Gana, has clarified that the internal crisis that has affected the party since 2022 was confined to Abuja and did not reflect disaffection within the grassroots.
In an interview on Arise News, Gana, a respected statesman and academic, emphasized that the PDP remains deeply rooted across Nigeria and that its nationwide structure has remained intact despite the political turbulence at the national level.
“I must confess that many people have forgotten that the PDP was created as a grassroots organization,” he stated. “In 1998, we were formed and then moving to the elections in 1999 we were in every polling unit, because we are the ones who really won the first election.”
Gana recounted the party’s early successes, noting its sweeping victory during the 1999 elections which included winning the presidency, most local government areas, as well as majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives.
“Many people have forgotten the PDP won most of the local governments. When it came to the presidential elections, we won the presidency, we won the Senate, we won the House,” he recalled.
“We were totally in control, and that is why we were very delighted that we restored democracy to Nigeria and re-established civil rule,” Gana added.
He also highlighted the role of the PDP in ending decades of military rule in Nigeria, describing the transition as a significant achievement in the country’s democratic history.
“Because for a number of years there was military rule but we successfully terminated that in a very democratic way, so the PDP was really as it were, a grassroots party,” Gana said.
Reaffirming the party’s identity, he stated, “That’s why when we said ‘power to the people’, we meant it because that was what it was, and it has been like that.”
On the recent crisis within the party, Gana downplayed its broader impact.
“So when this recent problem happened, it was really among a few elites here in Abuja. It didn’t even go beyond,” he noted.
Gana’s remarks come as the PDP continues internal reorganization efforts aimed at positioning the party for the 2027 general elections. His comments appear designed to reassure supporters and stakeholders that the party’s foundation remains unshaken at the grassroots level.
