Wike openly vowed to hold PDP down to Tinubu's advantage - Gov Makinde

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, of attempting to weaken the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in support of President Bola Tinubu’s second term ambition.

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Mr Makinde made the remarks while recounting discussions he said he had with President Tinubu and Mr Wike, arguing that such political manoeuvres threaten Nigeria’s multiparty democracy.

Speaking during a media briefing at the Government House in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the governor disclosed that President Tinubu had once asked him to assist in organising the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, a request he said he turned down because of his membership of the PDP.

He added that he also cautioned the president against relying on the Minister of Power,

Adebayo Adelabu, for party organisation in the state, adding that the minister lacked the capacity for the task.

“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’. If we had a government of national unity, a government of national competence, we would have been in a very different environment right now,” Governor Makinde said.

The Oyo governor further alleged that during a meeting attended by President Tinubu, Mr 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 general election.

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Mr Makinde said the comment came as a shock to him and raised concerns about efforts to erode the opposition and push the country towards a one-party system.

While acknowledging Mr Wike’s right to support President Tinubu’s re-election bid, the governor insisted that other political actors must be allowed to protect the PDP and Nigeria’s democratic diversity.

“I was in a meeting with the President and Wike, ….and Wike said to the president that, ‘I will hold PDP for you against 2027.’ I was in shock. So we got to the veranda and I asked him, did we agree to this?

“The real issue is that Wike would like to support the President for 2027. That’s fine. It is within his right to do that. But also some of us that want to ensure that democracy survives in Nigeria, that we don’t drift into a one-party state and want to ensure that PDP survives should be allowed to do our own thing,” he said.

The governor said he initially raised his concerns privately with mutual associates, hoping Mr Wike would reconsider his position, but claimed the minister remained unmoved. He added that this eventually led him to confront the issue directly.

Neither Mr Wike nor the presidency has reacted to Mr Makinde’s claim.

Makinde-Wike dispute

Governor Makinde’s recent revelations comes amid the lingering strife that has divided the Peoples Democratic Party since the 2023 general election, a crisis that deepened after internal disagreements over zoning, leadership and loyalty fractured the party’s ranks.

READ ALSO: PDP crisis deepens as Wike-backed faction expels Makinde, Bala Mohammed, Turaki, others

The dispute came to a head during the 2023 campaign when a bloc of five PDP governors, led by then Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike, opposed the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, over the refusal of the national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, to step down in line with the party’s zoning principle.

Although Governor Makinde was part of that group, their paths diverged after the election. Mr Wike openly supported President Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress and later accepted appointment as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, while Governor Makinde remained within the PDP and has since positioned himself as one of the party’s most influential governors.

The tension between both men has since grown as Mr Wike continued to wield influence within PDP structures while serving in an APC-led government. This move raised concerns among party leaders about the weakening of the opposition ahead of the 2027 general election.

The crisis deepened when the PDP suspended Wike, citing actions and statements considered detrimental to party unity.

The dispute has had wider implications, contributing to internal instability and prompting departures, including the recent resignation of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, who cited disagreements over party leadership and direction.