Doherty resigns from PDP, Reiterates Call For Credible Opposition
Funso Doherty, a Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former governorship candidate in Lagos state has resigned his membership of the party.
Doherty who announced this in a Statement on Saturday said the decision, though difficult, had become imperative due to events of recent weeks within the party.
He attributed his decision to the numerous litigations in the PDP and a recent ruling of the Court of Appeal which nullified the Ibadan convention and gave legitimacy to a group that people outside the party had openly declared support for.
He said he had worked for the past two years to help resolve multiple crises of internal and external origin to move the party forward because of his conviction that a strong, united and opposition was necessary in a democracy
“As many will recall, I wrote a public letter to the President of the Court of Appeal, urging that a decision be delivered on the multiple litigations involving PDP, pending before the Court, ahead of imminent key milestones in the electoral calendar.
“I did so because I understood what was at stake, not just for our party, but for the integrity and legitimacy of the electoral process itself.
“The ruling of the Court of Appeal came within days of my letter, it nullified our 2025 convention and its outcomes and conferred primacy in the party’s leadership to a group, prominent among whom is the FCT Minister, that has publicly and unambiguously declared its support for the re-election of the current APC administration.
“It means supporting an administration that is long on rhetoric, but that has presided over deepening poverty that has pushed tens of millions of Nigerians further into hardship through its Governance approach which is self-serving and extractive, rather than people-oriented and inclusive,” he said.
Doherty said insecurity had escalated sharply with the cost of living becoming unbearable for the masses in Lagos, and other parts of Nigeria.
He said he would not be a party to sustaining the bad situation and this departure from the PDP was driven by his belief in the pursuit of that united opposition.
“Nigeria’s democracy is fragile, and now under increasing threat, so this is not the time for fracturing and division of opposition political forces that believe in accountability, in constitutional order, and in the welfare of ordinary citizens.
“The need for opposition unity, especially in Lagos State, has never been more urgent than it is today and I remain committed to working to make it happen,” he said.
He called on his supporters and people of Lagos to keep faith in the struggle while assuring that he was deeply committed to the quest for a better Lagos and Nigeria.
