PDP’s Struggle in Anambra 2025: Lost Glory or Silent Strategy?

As Anambra State gears up for its 2025 governorship election on November 8, the once-mighty People’s Democratic Party (PDP) appears sidelined, struggling to reclaim its influence. Despite fielding a formidable lineup of aspirants in the 2021 election, the party now faces a steep decline, with only a single, relatively unknown aspirant, Hon. Jude Ezenwafor, submitting a nomination.

PDP’s previously bustling secretariat in Awka now stands neglected, symbolizing the party’s waning relevance. Insiders attribute the decline to internal conflicts, a lack of committed stakeholders, and an unaffordable N40 million nomination fee. Speculations are also rife that Ezenwafor’s candidacy may be a strategic move by a rival party member to disrupt the opposition.

Party Chairman Chief Chidi Chidebe remains optimistic, asserting that efforts are underway to restore unity and reinvigorate the party’s grassroots appeal. Committees have been established to rebuild trust, reengage estranged members, and revive the party’s fractured base. However, skepticism lingers as the PDP’s influence continues to wane, and its once vibrant political machinery risks fading into irrelevance.

Amid this uncertainty, young people have begun mocking the party’s state, joking about being recruited to contest under its platform. As the party grapples with its identity and relevance, many question whether the PDP’s absence from Anambra’s 2025 race marks the end of an era or the beginning of a more strategic, calculated comeback.