Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has issued a stern warning that selfish interests could ultimately destroy the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), asserting that the party is not positioned to win the 2027 general elections.
Wike made these remarks during his monthly press conference held in Abuja on Monday, where he criticized the current direction of the party and questioned its leadership decisions.
“Leadership is key. If you don’t show the right leadership, you will suffer for it and this is what I have been saying,” the former Rivers State governor stated.
He pointed to recent political developments, including the defection of the Governor of Delta State and his predecessor to the All Progressives Congress (APC), defending their decision to support President Bola Tinubu.
“When people talk about the governor of Delta State and his predecessor moving out of PDP to APC, what wrong did he do? That he said he was going to support Tinubu, that was the crime,” Wike said.
He also raised questions about the consistency of the party’s internal discipline, citing the example of the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees.
“But the Chairman of the BoT who is the conscience of the party adopted Otti for second tenure. Why are people not commenting about that? The Chairman of PDP BoT adopted Alex Otti, governor under Labour Party, for second tenure,” he noted.
Wike argued that opposition parties must be more organized than the ruling party to remain competitive, but lamented that the PDP has failed to act decisively.
“No opposition party allows impunity. It’s only the ruling party. Opposition is going to organize itself to take over the affairs of government. How many times have they made efforts? How many people have you wooed? Rather they are after Wike. They abandoned what they are supposed to do – the only crime is that Wike is a minister under APC government.”
The minister also defended his track record in the 2023 general elections.
“I’m the only former governor who did not support the presidential candidate but made sure PDP won 100 percent in the governorship, State Assembly and National Assembly. Let any sitting governor or former governor come out to say that happened in their states.”
He concluded with a warning that unless the PDP changes course and eliminates internal exclusion and opportunism, the party risks repeating the mistakes of 2023.
“If PDP doesn’t take care, watch out for what will happen because selfish interest can kill an organization. You haven’t won an election but you are excluding people. You want to play the same game you played in 2023, it will backfire. I have told people that this smartness will not help you. Wike is telling you now to stop this smartness.”
