The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is seeking to present itself as a resurgent political force ahead of the 2027 elections, with former national chairman Kawu Baraje claiming that the party has overcome the internal problems that contributed to its previous electoral setbacks.

Baraje, while speaking to journalists in Dutse, said the PDP was prepared to reclaim government offices across the country and warned All Progressives Congress (APC) governors to prepare to leave office.

PDP’s Road To 2027

Baraje’s comments come against the backdrop of the PDP’s defeats in the 2015 and 2023 elections, which he said the party had accepted despite reservations over the results.

According to him, the party’s previous difficulties were largely caused by internal crises.

He, however, maintained that those problems had now been resolved and that the PDP was ready to make a comeback in 2027.

What Happened?

Baraje spoke at the Dutse International Airport while travelling to Azare, Bauchi State, where he led a delegation of PDP leaders on behalf of former Senate President Bukola Saraki.

The delegation was scheduled to commission a 500-seater Computer-Based Test (CBT) and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centre donated to the community by the PDP governorship candidate for the 2027 election, Adamu Usman Ahmed.

While addressing journalists, Baraje said the PDP was prepared to occupy government offices at all levels.

He also attributed the party’s previous electoral setbacks largely to internal disagreements, insisting that the situation had changed.

PDP’s 2027 Position

Baraje said the party was now positioned to compete for political power across different levels of government.

He argued that public sentiment was shifting away from the APC and towards the PDP, describing what he claimed was happening as a form of political “revolution.”

The former PDP chairman linked the party’s renewed confidence to what he described as growing public demand for its return to power.

Baraje’s Strongest Remarks

Baraje said APC politicians currently occupying government houses should regard their positions as temporary.

“You see the APC people who are occupying the Government Houses today are tenants,” he said.

He also recalled the 2015 and 2023 elections, saying the PDP had reservations about both outcomes but accepted them in the interest of peace.

“In 2015, when the election went the way it went, we never believed in those results; even in 2023, we never believed in the results of the elections, but as peace-loving people, we let it because that was the desire of the people,” he said.

On the current political climate, Baraje added:

“But as you can see what is going on now, people are now rejecting them totally and are clamouring for the return of the PDP, so it’s some kind of revolution.”

Strategic Assessment

Baraje’s remarks can be viewed as part of the PDP’s effort to project confidence ahead of the 2027 elections.

By describing the party’s previous problems as largely internal and insisting that those issues have been resolved, he is presenting the PDP as better positioned to challenge the APC than it was during its earlier electoral setbacks.

His comments also frame the coming election as a contest between an incumbent political establishment and a PDP seeking to regain lost ground.

However, the claim that Nigerians are “rejecting” the APC and demanding the PDP’s return is Baraje’s political assessment. The material available does not independently establish the extent of such a shift in public opinion.

Political Significance

The comments are significant because the PDP’s ability to rebuild internal cohesion and convince voters that it can effectively challenge the APC will be central to its 2027 ambitions.

Baraje’s confidence reflects the party’s stated intention to contest for power at multiple levels, while his reference to the 2015 and 2023 elections shows that the PDP’s previous defeats remain part of its political narrative.

Whether the party can translate its renewed confidence into electoral gains, however, will depend on developments within the party and the wider political contest ahead of 2027.

Key Takeaways

• Former PDP chairman Kawu Baraje described APC politicians occupying government houses as “tenants.”
• He said the PDP’s previous electoral setbacks were largely linked to internal crises.
• Baraje claimed those problems had now been resolved.
• He said the PDP was ready to return to power in 2027.
• He also claimed public sentiment was shifting away from the APC.
• The claim of a widespread shift in public opinion remains Baraje’s political assessment and is not independently established in the material provided.