Political strategist and founding National Secretary of the Alliance for Democracy, Prof. Udenta Udenta, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu, the Independent National Electoral Commission, and the Nigeria Police are playing roles in efforts to destabilise the Peoples Democratic Party.
In an interview on Arise News on Thursday, Udenta claimed that the actions taken by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, at the PDP National Secretariat were carried out “on the orders of the President”.
He argued that the escalating turmoil in the PDP was no longer an internal matter but “externally engineered”, alleging that the ruling All Progressives Congress was deliberately working to weaken the opposition.
According to him, Wike’s interventions within the PDP form part of a coordinated strategy rather than independent political moves. “Wike is not an autonomous administrative or political force. He is a dependent force,” he said. “Wike went to Wadata Plaza on behalf of the President because the President was at Wadata Plaza — not Wike. If Wike holds a press briefing, it is the President holding the briefing.”
Udenta described the development as a “deliberate institutional choice” by the Presidency to exert influence over the PDP’s internal affairs.
He said the party ordinarily faces routine internal disagreements but insisted that external interference has intensified its troubles. He argued that the APC sees the PDP as its strongest national challenger and is working to diminish its strength.
Udenta also criticised INEC, accusing the commission of inconsistency and selective adherence to legal directives in matters related to the PDP leadership dispute. He questioned INEC’s acknowledgment of certain party leaders, saying the commission had not clearly addressed the suspension of four members of the National Working Committee.
He further accused the police of enabling what he described as a factional takeover of the PDP Secretariat, alleging that officers allowed the Anyanwu faction access to the building despite earlier complaints by the son of new PDP chairman Tanimu Turaki SAN.
