Former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has forecast a fresh wave of defections from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), warning that three additional governors may soon exit the party, potentially reducing its influence to just five state executives.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Fayose linked the anticipated departures to deepening power struggles within the PDP, which has already lost Bayelsa Governor Douye Diri and Enugu Governor Peter Mbah to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) this month. “There are three more governors that will leave soon. There will be five remaining,” Fayose stated, adding that one of the remaining governors faces a bleak prospect for securing the party’s 2027 presidential ticket, likening it to “an ordinary tissue paper.”

A longtime PDP member who has publicly backed President Bola Tinubu, Fayose attributed the party’s decline to internal sabotage by state leaders seeking dominance. “They are largely killing the party because they want to control it. This is what happened in 2023,” he said, referencing factionalism that fractured the party during the last election cycle.

PDP officials have pushed back against Fayose’s claims, arguing that defections are driven by federal incentives rather than structural weaknesses. They have called on members to recommit to the party’s founding principles ahead of the 2027 elections.

Turning to the broader opposition landscape, Fayose identified Labour Party’s Peter Obi as the only figure with sustained public momentum. “The only opposition that I know in Nigeria... the only voice that has traction... is Obi,” he said, praising the 2023 presidential candidate’s continued resonance despite lacking formal power.

Obi has condemned the recent defections as acts of betrayal and remains active in public discourse, drawing crowds with his economic critiques. However, his coalition under the African Democratic Congress—alongside Atiku Abubakar, Nasir El-Rufai, and Rotimi Amaechi—has shown signs of strain. Fayose dismissed the alliance as “going nowhere,” asserting that no challenger currently poses a credible threat to Tinubu or the APC in the near term.

Clarifying his support for the president, Fayose insisted it was not motivated by personal gain, noting he had declined an appointment offer. “Have you seen me taking an appointment from the APC? ... At 65, I would rather be at home,” he said.