The inception of the fourth Republic brought to the fore the need for the civil society, electoral bodies, political parties and all government agencies to work towards promoting and institutionalizing a new democratic culture with a view to deepening democracy and to remove vestiges of military culture that are antithetical to democracy, tolerance and the rule of law. It was in the light of the new crave that the Peoples Democratic Institute (PDI) was established in the year 2000.

The creation of the PDI was in a bid to create civic awareness among the Nigerian citizenry beyond mere committing to memory of facts, to the acquisition or improvement of skills and processes as well as the development of a changed disposition of attitudes detracting from liberal democracy, through subtraction or unlearning and modification.  The PDI was setup as a non-partisan institution to work towards achieving the following:
(a)   A strong civil society which is indispensable to the growth and sustenance of democracy and the democratic process
(b)   Provide political engineering through formal training in the arts and science of political participation and intervention
(c) Provide sensitization and capacity building on the imperative of good governance and responsible leadership towards national development. The ultimate aim for the creation of the PDI is to promote and deepen democracy in Nigeria, Africa and beyond. Since creation, the PDI has embarked on the following democracy projects:
1.   Attending political parties’ conventions as observers since 2003 till date in which reports were written and submitted to appropriate authorities with a view to improving subsequent democratic processes in conventions.
2.     Served as election observers in Nigeria and some African countries.
3.     Carried out electoral survey in many states of Nigeria and provided useful data to other political organizations.
4.      The PDI has trained National and sub-national political parties executives across Nigeria.
5.     Trained parties’ agents, collation officers and other state actors for elections in Nigeria since 2003.
6.     Media appearances discussing democracy and party politics in Nigeria.
7.     Written several memoranda to the Nigerian National Assembly on Constitution review.
8.     Building party manifestos for political parties since 2001.
9.     Organized training courses in party formation and organization in Nigeria, 2001
10.  Public enlightenment and grassroot mobilization on democracy and at the Electorate Process, 2002.
11.  Organized Local Government System and National Security in Nigeria, October 2002.
12.  Organized capacity building course for special/personal assistants of public offices holders, May,2004.
13.  Program Group B. Electoral Agencies and elections activities for the year 2005: Training & Research Programs.
14.  Participated in a 2-day special workshop on Political Marketing tagged “Political Positioning Strategies” December 3, 2001.
15.  Participated actively in the formation of the Revolutionary United Front Party (RUFP) of Sierra Leone, 2001.
16.  Contributed in building the Political Party Act, 2001.
17.  Organized Capacity Building Programme on Party Politics, Democracy and good governance in Nigeria, 19^th-21^st August, 2002.
18.  Conducted open parties’ debates for aspirants, October, 2017.
19.  Organized training course for elected officials of Local Government Councils from July 21 to September 24, 2004.
20.  Collaborated with Global Initiative for Women on International Leadership Training Program, June, 2014.
21.  Organized Legislative Training and Development Programme July, 2003.
22.  Organized a focus Training Programme for some standing committees of the House of Representatives, July 2003.
23.  Organized Voter Education Campaign in Cross River Northern Senatorial District, June, 2024.
24.  Training of Chapter Executives of Political Parties in opposition in South West Nigeria, August, 2024.
25.  Conducted Electoral Survey for Governorship election in Edo State, September, 2024.
26.  Review of the Institute’s Road Map, November, 2024.

The Director Generals of PDI from its inception in 2000 were Dr. Haruna Dabin, Dr. Ibrahim Lame, Mr. Anthony Ubani, Mrs. Chinwe Nnorom, Dr. Chukwuemeka Williams Aroh, Dr. Olanrenwaju Adebayo and currently, Dr. Edward Ugbada Adie as Director-General.