The factional chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, Sikirullai Ogundele, has declared the party “dead and ready for burial,” blaming its collapse on internal crisis, failed leadership, and mass defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress.

Speaking in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, Ogundele said unresolved leadership tussle, including the lingering crisis over the office of the National Secretary, had further deepened internal disunity and rendered the party ineffective.

Ogundele served as the party chairman for almost eight years before falling out with the 2023 governorship candidate of the party the state, Ladi Adebutu, which led to the emergence of another factional chairman, Abayomi Tella.

On Monday, Ogundele led some members of the party, including Adebutu’s running mate, Adekunle Akinlade, to Governor Dapo Abiodun.

The meeting, which was held behind closed doors, was characterised as both cordial and strategic.

Although Ogundele admitted that he had not officially resigned from PDP, he said the meeting was in preparation for his faction’s defection to the APC, with legal battles ongoing between factions.

He blamed the PDP’s crisis on what he described as “transactional leaders” who hijacked reconciliation processes and turned internal resolution efforts into avenues for personal gain.

“PDP is fractured, and you cannot walk with a fractured leg. In all ramifications, PDP is gone; it is like the party is under a spell. The party has been mismanaging its crisis, and this has led to the losses recorded during the elections.

“A reconciliation committee was set up, but when members got to some states, they collected money from the highest bidder and gave their recommendations. Their recommendations were transactional, not credible.

“All these shenanigans that are going on in the PDP have killed the party, and I think the next thing is to just bury the party,” he stated.

Ogundele added that PDP was in pieces as more members of the party were planning to join the anti-Tinubu coalition.

“PDP is no more, and if you still want to be relevant in politics, it is better for you to be a member of a ruling political party than to be the chairman of a useless, fractured, and badly managed political party,” Ogundele stated.

Reacting to the development, Tella admitted that Ogundele’s defection would be significant if it eventually happens.

He said, “I’m going to miss Ogundele if he leaves the PDP, that is if he actually wants to go, because I can assure you that his soul remains in this party. But when you are talking about others, I don’t want to talk about them. They are inconsequential, and I stand to be corrected.”

Tella maintained that the PDP was undergoing internal restructuring and would bounce back in the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.