If PDP Collapses, Another Opposition Party Will Emerge — Ben Murray-Bruce

Former senator and media entrepreneur Ben Murray-Bruce says the ongoing wave of defections from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) does not spell the end of opposition politics in Nigeria, insisting that the nation’s democracy will always produce new challengers.

Speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Thursday — days after confirming his own defection to the APC — Murray-Bruce argued that while the PDP may be in decline, opposition forces will inevitably rise to fill the void.

“Things get destroyed for others to show up. There will be other parties. It may not be called PDP, but there will be opposition. So, if PDP dies, it dies. Somebody is going to show up. Somebody will show up, for sure,” he said.

His comments come amid the defection of prominent PDP governors, including Douye Diri of Bayelsa State and Peter Mbah of Enugu State, both of whom recently joined the APC.

Murray-Bruce dismissed suggestions that the defections signal the birth of a one-party state, stressing that Nigeria’s political environment guarantees periodic competition.

“There will be opposition, there will be election. There are people who will challenge the president, and it’s going to be a tough election. It’s going to be very tough,” he said.

The former lawmaker, who represented Bayelsa East Senatorial District, maintained that the apparent weakening of the PDP does not mean the country’s democratic institutions are collapsing.

“Don’t think because PDP is half dead means the democratic process is dead. It feels that way, people think that way, but somebody will emerge, a leader will show up, and there will be tough opposition,” he explained.

Murray-Bruce further pointed to figures such as Peter Obi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and Atiku Abubakar as examples of political leaders still capable of shaping Nigeria’s opposition landscape.

“Peter Obi is not dead. Kwankwaso is not dead. Atiku is not dead, so there will be opposition,” he said.

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