A former lawmaker, Senator Ahmed Kaita, has described the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as an opposition that has lost its former clout and glory, especially with the recent mass defections of its members.

Kaita, who stated this on Thursday evening at a meeting of a coalition of political groups in Katsina State, said the PDP had become a shadow of its former self and may likely not make a meaningful impact in the next general elections.

The ex-lawmaker stated that some state governors, as well as lawmakers at the state and national levels, and more recently, former Vice President Namadi Sambo, had all defected from the PDP to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

He said with such defections, it would be difficult, if not impossible, for the PDP to successfully play the role of major opposition party when the next general elections come up.

He said it is against this background that he and prominent Nigerians have decided to form an alternative political group that will squarely face the ruling APC in the forthcoming elections in the country.

According to him, prominent Nigerians from a coalition of political groups have been meeting at the state and national levels, to form an alternative opposition political party to the PDP.

He said the group’s plan, among other things, is to adopt a single existing political party, join the same and begin working towards defeating the ruling APC in subsequent elections in the country.

Kaita said the decision on which political party the coalition would join will be made known in the coming weeks, as a series of meetings were still ongoing to finalise the group’s decision.

He lamented that Nigerians were currently facing socio-economic challenges brought upon them by the ruling APC, alleging that monies meant for the development of the states and the country were being siphoned by a few individuals in positions of power.

Also speaking, former Secretary to the Katsina State Government (SSG), Dr Mustpaha Inuwa, called on members of the coalition group to ensure they work for the actualisation of a viable opposition in the country.

Inuwa urged them to be patient and not to defect to the APC or other political parties for monetary or related gains, adding that their efforts to make the group achieve its aim would not go unrewarded.

During the meeting, hundreds of PDP members, most of whom were candidates who had contested or failed to contest various elective positions, were welcomed as new members of the coalition.

The leader of the candidates, Jamilu Yahaya, assured that he and his colleagues would work together with the leadership of the coalition group to ensure they achieve their set objectives.