A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Hon. Paul West, has urged members of the opposition party to abandon what he described as the “fruitless” certificate controversy surrounding President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and redirect their energy towards rebuilding the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
West, who is Chairman of the Ward Chairmen Forum of the PDP in Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State, made the call in an open letter to party members.
He argued that the prolonged controversy over Tinubu’s academic credentials had yielded little political benefit for the PDP, insisting that the opposition party must now concentrate on developing a credible alternative and strengthening its grassroots structures.
According to him, the PDP has spent more than two decades revisiting questions surrounding Tinubu’s certificates, from political controversies in Lagos to legal proceedings and the 2023 cases involving Chicago State University in the United States.
He said the party’s continued fixation on the matter was distracting members from the more important task of preparing for the next general elections.
“It has not worked,” West declared, arguing that the courts and relevant institutions had already addressed the major legal questions surrounding Tinubu’s eligibility.
He therefore warned PDP members against allowing another election cycle to be dominated by what he called “endless litigation” and media controversies over the President’s academic credentials.
West said the PDP’s experience before the 2023 elections should serve as a lesson, alleging that while the party was preoccupied with the certificate controversy, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was consolidating its structures at the grassroots.
He maintained that the 2027 elections would not be won through courtrooms or media debates, but through effective organisation in wards, local governments, and communities.
“The 2027 general elections will not be won in US District Courts. They will be won in wards, in local governments, in markets and farms,” he said.
The PDP chieftain challenged the party to return to what he described as the fundamentals of opposition politics by presenting Nigerians with clear alternatives on the economy, security, power devolution, restructuring, state police and the rising cost of living.
He argued that if the PDP believes the Tinubu administration has failed Nigerians, it must demonstrate why it deserves to return to power by presenting practical solutions rather than relying on the possible disqualification of its principal political opponent.
West also called on national, zonal, and state leaders of the party to return to their respective wards and rebuild the organisation from the grassroots.
He urged party leaders to listen to members, resolve internal disagreements, update the party register in line with electoral guidelines, mentor younger members, and restore confidence among the rank and file.
“We have surely raised credible candidates who can win without relying on the disqualification of opponents. Let us support them,” he said.
The PDP chieftain further advocated broader political alliances with Nigerians outside the party who share its vision for improved governance.
He urged party members to place the interests of the PDP above individual ambitions, saying the opposition party could only regain power through unity, organisation, and a compelling political alternative.
“President Tinubu is a political opponent, not an enemy of the state. He contested and won under our laws. If we believe his policies are failing, let us prove it with superior ideas and superior organisation, not with endless litigation over old electoral and academic documents,” West stated.
Reflecting on the PDP’s emergence in 1999, he said the party succeeded at the time because it presented Nigerians with a message of hope and subsequently translated that promise into governance.
He challenged the party to replicate that strategy ahead of 2027 by looking beyond Tinubu’s past controversies and focusing on the future of the country.
“Let us leave the debacle and face the election,” West declared.
