The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared Senator Sandy Onor as its consensus presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, insisting that it has overcome its internal crisis and remains the only opposition party capable of challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking after his emergence at the party’s convention, Onor pledged to run an issue-based and pan-Nigerian campaign focused on tackling rural poverty, unemployment, and insecurity.
“Today, we have reclaimed our party, the legacy party, the Peoples Democratic Party,” he declared in his acceptance speech.
The PDP candidate said the party had moved beyond its internal divisions and was now united under purposeful and visionary leadership.
Onor also dismissed the opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), describing it as an alliance of conflicting interests that had already collapsed.
“A couple of months ago, some people in the opposition gathered under the banner of the ADC. Many Nigerians started getting the impression that this variety of opposition forces was beginning to coalesce into something formidable.
“But the drama happened even sooner than we anticipated. Before we knew it, people began migrating out of the coalition. If you observed carefully, there was what I call the ‘Andrews Liver Salt Effect’ — like a bubble that rises suddenly and disappears within days,” he said.
According to him, the ADC had become a small regional party and could no longer pose a serious national threat.
“The point I am making is that if you are looking for any party with the capacity to contend with the ruling APC, that party is the PDP,” he added.
Onor further dismissed claims of factionalisation within the PDP, insisting that there was only one recognised party structure operating within the law.
