Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has warned the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to urgently ...
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has warned the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to urgently resolve its internal crises or risk failing in the 2027 general elections.
Wike issued the warning on Monday during a media chat at his office in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, stressing that the party’s continued internal wrangling could severely undermine its chances of returning to power.
According to him, the PDP is currently suffering from a lack of purposeful and responsive leadership.
“We have a leadership that is not focused. We have a leadership that does not know what to do or take any suggestions,” Wike said. “If the leadership is committed and comes back to say we have made a mistake, why are things happening this way, and what do we do to make corrections?”
He noted that winning elections requires deliberate preparation and strategic positioning, warning that without decisive leadership, the party could face serious setbacks.
“It is not just to take over government; you have to position yourself. If the leadership continues this way, by 2027 it is likely that we may not make it. But are we going to allow the party to die?” he asked.
Wike urged the PDP to begin rebuilding immediately and make the right decisions ahead of the next election cycle, emphasising that the party’s future largely depends on the quality of its leadership.
The PDP has been embroiled in internal crises since the 2023 general elections and has lost several prominent members, including serving governors, to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Wike Mocks PDP Convention
During the media interaction, the former Rivers State governor also took a swipe at the PDP National Convention held on November 15 in Ibadan, Oyo State, describing it in a mocking tone.
He accused Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, of being desperate to gain total control of the party and alleged that an ex parte court order was obtained in Ibadan to allow the convention to proceed.
Wike and Makinde, once close political allies, have recently fallen out and are now openly at odds.
On December 23, Governor Makinde accused Wike of working to weaken the PDP in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s alleged second-term ambition. Makinde made the claim while recounting discussions he said he had with both President Tinubu and Wike, warning that such political manoeuvres pose a threat to Nigeria’s multiparty democracy.
Speaking during a media briefing at the Government House in Ibadan, Makinde revealed that President Tinubu had once asked him to assist in organising the APC in Oyo State, a request he said he declined because of his loyalty to the PDP.
“The President said, ‘No Seyi, it is you that I want to help me organise APC in Oyo,’ and I said, ‘No sir, I am of the PDP; I can never help you organise the APC in Oyo State,’” Makinde said.
The Oyo governor further alleged that during a meeting attended by President Tinubu, Wike, the President’s Chief of Staff, and other officials, the FCT minister openly offered to “hold” the PDP for the president ahead of the 2027 elections.
Makinde said the remark shocked him and raised serious concerns about deliberate efforts to weaken the opposition and push Nigeria towards a one-party system.
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