You Betrayed Jonathan, You Will Betray Nigerians – PDP Blasts ADC Leaders

… Zones 2027 Presidency to the South
…Confirms Damagum as Chairman
…Says Party Stronger After Exit of Atiku, David Mark, Others

By Franklin Adojah
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday launched a blistering attack on the African Democratic Congress (ADC), accusing its leaders of betrayal and warning Nigerians not to entrust them with power. The party said those who today parade themselves as ADC leaders were the very individuals who, in 2013, betrayed former President Goodluck Jonathan by walking out of the PDP to form the All Progressives Congress (APC), a party it blames for plunging Nigeria into insecurity, poverty, and economic ruin.

The PDP’s outburst followed a statement by ADC spokesman, Mr. Bolaji Abdullahi, who had criticised the PDP Governors’ Forum (PDPGF) for holding its recent meeting in Zamfara State, shortly after fresh terrorist attacks in the state. The PDP dismissed Abdullahi’s position as mischievous and insensitive, describing it as an attempt to score cheap political points from the tragedy of ordinary Nigerians.

“Having betrayed Jonathan yesterday, they are poised to betray Nigerians again today,” the PDP said in a statement signed by its media consultant, Emman Agu, former Champion Newspaper editor. “Like APC, like ADC—both are built on selfishness, insensitivity, and deception.”

The party defended its governors’ decision to converge in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, on Saturday, August 23, 2025, insisting it was a deliberate act of solidarity with Governor Dauda Lawal and his people, who have borne the brunt of terrorist attacks. According to the PDPGF, all the governors travelled together to Gusau in one vehicle despite the security threats, underscoring their unity and resolve.

The Forum contrasted this action with what it called the APC’s tradition of leaders avoiding troubled areas and “fiddling abroad while innocent Nigerians are slaughtered at home.” It maintained that the ADC’s criticism only confirmed its lineage as another face of the APC, driven by betrayal and political opportunism.

Meanwhile, the PDP yesterday also resolved lingering internal disputes by zoning its 2027 presidential ticket to the South. Announcing the decision after the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja, National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba said the move followed recommendations by a committee chaired by Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri. “Since the National Chairman of the party is zoned to the North, the PDP 2027 presidential ticket is hereby zoned to the South,” Ologunagba declared.

At the same NEC meeting, the PDP formally confirmed Umar Damagum as its substantive National Chairman after more than a year in an acting capacity. Damagum took the oath of office administered by the party’s National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, ahead of the elective convention scheduled for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The PDP Governors Forum also declared that the party had become stronger and more focused following the defection of some of its top chieftains, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President David Mark, and Senator Dino Melaye, to the ADC. In a statement signed by its Director General, Emmanuel Agbo, the Forum likened the defectors to prodigal sons who joined a “one-chance vehicle” but resorted to “irresponsible verbal attacks” after realising their error.

“Since their exit, the PDP has become much more formidable, with clear determination to have our eyes on the ball,” the statement read. “The ADC before now, with their inordinate sense of entitlement, constituted a huge clog to the wheel of national unity and harmony.”

Reaffirming its focus on the nation’s security crisis, the PDPGF said the meeting in Gusau addressed urgent concerns and pledged not to relent until Nigeria is restored to the pre-2015 era of relative peace, stability, and prosperity. It added that Nigerians should not be deceived by the “self-seeking elements” in the ADC who, having once betrayed Jonathan, are now preparing to betray the country again.