The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the end-of-year media chat by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, exposed his fear of losing control of Rivers State politics and his diminishing influence with President Bola Tinubu
The party said Mr Wike’s comments during the interview also revealed his frustration over his inability to dominate the current national leadership of the PDP.
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In a statement on Monday, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, said the minister’s utterances showed a man unsettled by his declining political relevance.
“All through the interview, Minister Wike showed obvious signs of fear of losing the attention of the President, his slipping grip of Rivers State, and his frustration with the unbending nature of the true leadership of the PDP at the national level,” Mr Ememobong said.
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Mr Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, had made several controversial remarks during the media chat, including his refusal to recognise Governor Siminalayi Fubara as the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, his ongoing feud with Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, and his claim that the PDP would collapse if he leaves the party.
The former governor has been embroiled in a prolonged political battle with his successor, Mr Fubara, since the 2023 general election. The crisis split the Rivers State House of Assembly into two factions – 27 lawmakers loyal to Mr Wike and four aligned with Governor Fubara.
The crisis later escalated to a state of emergency declaration by President Tinubu, leading to the six-month suspension of the governor, his deputy and members of the House of Assembly.
In June, the president brokered a peace deal between Mr Fubara and the FCT minister, ending the emergency rule and reinstating the suspended officials. The governor and lawmakers resumed duty on 18 September.
About two weeks ago, Mr Fubara defected from the PDP to the APC. In line with APC tradition, which recognises sitting governors as party leaders in their states, he subsequently declared himself the leader of the party in Rivers State, a position Mr Wike has openly disputed during the media chat.
Aside from Rivers politics, Mr Wike also claimed during the media chat that he and some PDP leaders were responsible for the emergence of Governor Seyi Makinde in Oyo State, alleging that the governor was involved in questionable financial dealings.
Messrs Wike and Makinde were key members of the G-5 governors who worked against the PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the 2023 election.
Recurrent troublemaker
In the statement, Mr Ememobong described the minister as a serial political disruptor who thrives on crisis and division.
The PDP spokesperson recalled Mr Wike’s role in the removal of former party chairmen, including Ali-Modu Sheriff, Uche Secondus, and Iyorchia Ayu.
“Since he assumed power as governor in Rivers State in 2015, Wike has been a recurrent troublemaker in the leadership of the PDP. From the Sheriff era, where he was a forerunner in the Sheriff-for-National Chairman movement and later turned to fight and remove Sheriff; later he championed the Uche Secondus-for-National Chairman movement (in fact, he granted a very combustible interview that polarised the party just before the convention) and then was the same person fighting to remove Secondus.
“The same Wike led the movement to produce Dr. Iyorchia Ayu as national chairman against the advice of many party leaders, and so soon thereafter, it was Wike again who led the Ayu-must-go struggle,” he added.
Mr Ememobong added that Mr Wike’s conduct in Rivers State further exposed his pattern of political intolerance and authoritarianism.
READ ALSO: APC, PDP have merged into ‘Renewed Hope Family’ in Rivers – Wike
“Beyond the national leadership crises, his actions within Rivers State further illustrate this pattern. The imposition of candidates, internal exclusionary practices, and the unprecedented prevention of a duly nominated PDP presidential candidate from campaigning in a PDP-controlled state remain troubling departures from democratic norms.
“Wike’s politics thrives on perpetual conflict, feeding on attention and seeking relevance through calculated disruption and when starved of attention, seeks to destroy everything,” the spokesperson said.
PDP confident of victory in 2027
The party reaffirmed its confidence ahead of the 2027 general elections, assuring Nigerians that it would present a credible presidential candidate capable of defeating President Tinubu.
“We assure Nigerians that the PDP will field a credible presidential candidate who will receive the massive support of Nigerians and will go on to win the presidential elections in 2027. Our party is the Peoples Democratic Party, and no one person has the capacity to personalise the party,” Mr Ememobong stated.
He added that the Kabiru Turaki-led National Working Committee is focused on rebuilding the party, resolving internal disputes, and repositioning the PDP for electoral victory in the next general elections.
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