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The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Kebbi State, once a formidable political force and dominant platform in the state’s power structure, is caught up in a prolonged season of political silence.
From losing its grip on key federal seats to witnessing high-profile defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, the opposition party’s structure has come under intense strain ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The PDP’s dwindling influence became more evident following the defection of its three serving senators, Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North), and Garba Maidoki (Kebbi South), to the ruling APC in 2025.
Their departure significantly altered Kebbi’s political equation, leaving the PDP without representation in the Senate and raising concerns about its capacity to mount a strong opposition in the state.
For years, political actors like Aliero, Abdullahi and Maidoki were regarded as pillars of the PDP in Kebbi.
Their movement to the APC was described by political analysts as a “structural earthquake” within the opposition.
With the Senate seats gone, the PDP’s presence at the federal level is now largely reduced to a handful of actors, including Ibrahim Bello Mohammed, who represents Birnin Kebbi/Kalgo/Bunza Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, becoming one of the few remaining PDP lawmakers from Kebbi at the National Assembly.
Meanwhile, in September 2025, the PDP conducted its ward congresses across the 21 local government areas of Kebbi State, electing new executives and delegates.
DAILY POST gathered that since the ward congresses, there have been no widely reported large-scale political activity, strategic town hall meetings, or mass mobilisation spearheaded by the re-elected state chairman, Alhaji Usman Bello.
Although the state PDP under his leadership took a public political position by boycotting the party’s national convention in November 2025 over disagreements surrounding the choice of a national chairman, analysts argue that beyond that stance, the party has remained relatively quiet in the state’s political space.
Wave of defections
The PDP’s challenges deepened in December 2025 when more than 1,500 members from the Zuru Emirate defected to the APC.
The defectors were received in Birnin Kebbi by the APC state chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Kana-Zuru.
DAILY POST gathered that the mass defection was attributed to what the defectors described as the performance of the APC-led administration in the area of infrastructure, security and development projects across the state.
In a similar development, hundreds of PDP members from Yauri, Shanga, and Ngaski local government areas also defected to the APC and were officially received by Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, in September 2025.
The defection trend also affected the women wing of the PDP. Former National Women Leader of the party, Mariya Waziri, defected to the APC in February 2026, alongside other party executives in the state, citing confidence in the developmental strides of the current administration.
Her departure was widely seen as symbolic, given her longstanding influence within the PDP structure.
Amid the wave of defections, DAILY POST gathered that the Kebbi PDP leadership has consistently reassured members of its unity.
When contacted, the re-elected chairman, Alhaji Usman Bello, described the party as “one indivisible entity” across the 21 local government areas, urging members to remain calm and focused.
He maintained that defections were part of democratic politics and insisted that the PDP would reorganise and emerge stronger ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on the party’s challenges, the PDP State Publicity Secretary, Sani Dododo, admitted that the party was going through a difficult phase but insisted that rebuilding efforts were ongoing.
“We have lost key members, no doubt. But political history shows that parties can rebuild.
“What we need now is aggressive grassroots engagement, reconciliation and clarity of vision,” Dododo said.
However, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Kebbi State Governor, Yahaya Sarki, described the PDP as increasingly irrelevant in the state, attributing the steady defections of its members to what he called the “visible performance” of the Idris administration.
According to him, APC’s growing acceptance across Kebbi reflects public satisfaction with governance and inclusive leadership.
Political analysts offer mixed views
A political science lecturer at the Federal University Birnin Kebbi noted that while the PDP’s silence appears glaring, the political terrain could still shift before 2027.
“Politics is dynamic. Today’s dominance does not automatically translate into tomorrow’s victory. The PDP still has structures, but it must act fast to regain visibility and credibility,” he said.
As of now, there is no widely visible opposition figure within the Kebbi PDP commanding statewide momentum comparable to the influence once wielded by the party’s former senatorial heavyweights.
However, the former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who is the gubernatorial aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kebbi, is currently viewed as the only strong opposition figure in the state.
DAILY POST gathered that his campaign, though potentially formidable, has been largely constrained by ongoing EFCC investigations, which have temporarily crippled his gubernatorial bid.
Malami also doubles as the ADC state party leader, giving him a structural base, but the PDP currently lacks comparable leadership or visibility ahead of the 2027 elections.
For a party that once controlled significant political capital in the state, the coming months may prove decisive.
Whether the current political silence signals temporary recalibration or long-term decline remains to be seen.
