…slams Makinde over Ibadan convention
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has cautioned the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to urgently resolve its internal disputes.
He warned that failure to do so could cost the party dearly in the 2027 general elections.
Wike gave the warning on Monday during a media interaction at his office in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he expressed deep concern over what he described as persistent instability within the opposition party.
According to him, the PDP risks losing relevance if its leadership fails to take responsibility for the crises rocking the party since the 2023 general elections.
Wike said: “We have a leadership that is not focused and does not know what to do or how to take advice . If the leadership is serious, it should admit its mistakes and ask what went wrong and how to correct it.”
He stressed that winning power requires proper preparation, not wishful thinking.
“It is not just about taking over government. You must position yourself. If the leadership realises that by 2027 it may be difficult to win, are we going to allow the party to die?” he asked.
Wike urged the party to begin rebuilding immediately, insisting that decisions taken now would determine the PDP’s survival beyond 2027.
“Let us begin to build and make the right decisions ahead of 2027. Everything depends on leadership,” he added.
The PDP has faced internal divisions since the last general elections, a situation that has led to the defection of several members, including serving governors, to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
During the media chat, Wike also took a swipe at the PDP National Convention held on November 15 in Ibadan, Oyo State, speaking about it in a sarcastic tone.
He accused Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, of attempting to dominate the party and allegedly obtaining an ex parte court order from an Ibadan court to allow the convention to proceed.
Wike and Makinde, once close political allies, have since fallen out, with tensions between their camps continuing to rise.
On December 23, Makinde accused Wike of working against the PDP to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, an allegation he made while recounting discussions he claimed to have had with the President and the FCT minister.
Makinde warned that such actions could weaken opposition politics and push Nigeria towards a one-party system.
He also claimed that President Tinubu once asked him to help organise the APC in Oyo State, a request he said he declined out of loyalty to the PDP.
Makinde further alleged that at a meeting attended by President Tinubu and other senior officials, Wike openly offered to manage the PDP on the President’s behalf ahead of the 2027 elections—an offer he said shocked him and raised serious concerns about the future of opposition politics in the country.
