Amid a surge of defections rocking the ranks and strongholds of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) has scheduled a meeting for Tuesday to tackle the crisis, Waffi TV reports. The current storm had long been anticipated, culminating in the dramatic defection of the PDP’s former vice-presidential candidate, Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, and the entire party structure in Delta State—a key stronghold of the former ruling party. Following a closed-door meeting in Asaba last week, Delta State Deputy Governor Monday Onyeme, state commissioners, local government chairmen, and the grassroots party machinery defected en masse to the All Progressives Congress (APC), a fallout of what has been dubbed "Hurricane Tinubu," which has severely weakened the PDP. Opposition figures have warned that the country risks sliding into a de facto one-party system. The PDP is currently grappling with one of the most turbulent periods in its history since its founding in 1998. The loss of several federal lawmakers—including five-term House of Representatives member Oluwole Oke from Osun State—threatens to further erode the party’s competitiveness against the ruling APC ahead of the 2027 general elections. Meanwhile, despite tensions within the PDP Governors’ Forum led by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, Senator Samuel Anyanwu—recently reaffirmed as National Secretary by the Supreme Court—has pledged to attend Tuesday’s NWC meeting. A senior party insider, speaking anonymously due to lack of authorization, said that the meeting would focus on the wave of defections to the APC and strategies to stem further losses. Internal divisions have plagued the PDP both before and after the 2023 elections, deepening instability at all levels. Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum has faced mounting criticism since succeeding Iyorchia Ayu, with many state chapters and zonal structures—particularly in the South-South—reportedly in disarray. Disputes over the National Secretary position have also fractured the NWC, rendering it largely ineffective. Meanwhile, the terms of many Board of Trustees (BoT) members have expired without replacements, leaving the BoT fragmented and weakened. As previously reported exclusively by The PUNCH on February 18, over 300 PDP members defected to the APC between February 2024 and February 2025, mainly due to unresolved internal crises at both national and state levels. Similarly, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and Labour Party have also seen waves of defections to the APC, often triggered by internal disagreements. Most recently, on April 23, Governor Oborevwori, his predecessor Ifeanyi Okowa, and the entire Delta State PDP officially defected to the APC, dealing another major blow to the opposition party.