Isaac Samuel
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has warned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against repeating the strategic errors and internal divisions that led to its loss in the 2023 general elections.
The minister warned that a repeat in 2027 would be politically fatal for the party.
Speaking at his monthly media briefing in Abuja on Monday, Wike said the party had failed to learn from the past, while he accused its leadership of promoting exclusion, tolerating impunity, and ignoring genuine reconciliation efforts.
The former Rivers State governor, who was a central figure in the G5 Governors group that withheld support for PDP’s presidential candidate in 2023, maintained that his decision not to back the party at the federal level should not erase his contributions to its success in other elections.
Wike said: “Leadership is key, if you don’t show the right leadership you will suffer for it and this is what I have been saying.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
He further defended recent defections from the PDP, particularly that of former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s successor, saying that those leaving the party are simply reacting to its internal dysfunction.
