Efforts by the leading opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to reconcile aggrieved members ahead of the 2027 general election yesterday suffered a setback as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, pulled out of the party’s peace deal.
Wike, in a statement, announced that he had pulled out of all reconciliation agreements previously reached within the party.
Since the change of guards on the political scene in 2015, observers expected the PDP to have some bite by effectively checkmating the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) because of its longstanding might while it held sway as the ruling party between 1999 and 2015.
But pundits have argued that the PDP has remained comatose to the extent that when it is now in the news, it is mostly when its notable members are fighting, defected to the APC or when tongues are wagging over its protracted leadership tussle, making it difficult to do anything a potent opposition should be doing.
Wike expressed concerns that the party has declined into “Dishonesty and lack of trust amongst its key stakeholders.” He also accused key party leaders of betrayal, dishonesty, and serial violations of mutual understandings.
“Since after the 2023 general election, the PDP has been wantonly swinging from one part of a slippery precipice to another,” Wike said, noting that several efforts had been made to “Arrest this pernicious virus of dishonesty and treachery,” he said.
Wike, who was the leader of the influential G5 group within the PDP, also blamed Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State for allegedly sabotaging reconciliation efforts.
“I made it clear to the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, that he was the architect of our problems, pointing out to him that non-adherence to agreements reached was the bane of the party, and that he was the chief culprit of this anomaly,” Wike said.
He disclosed that during a G5 meeting in Lagos, the governors had resolved to bury the hatchet and move forward. He added that this was followed by a broader meeting in Abuja at Senator Bukola Saraki’s guest house, involving other top PDP figures, including Governors Bala Mohammed, Umaru Fintiri, and Makinde, alongside Saraki himself.
The Rivers former governor said the Abuja meeting yielded a set of clear resolutions, including recognition of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary in line with a Supreme Court judgment, the withdrawal of all court cases relating to Rivers State by the party’s national legal adviser, and an end to cases about state of emergency in Rivers.
“To my chagrin, Seyi Makinde had connived with Peter Mba of Enugu State to orchestrate the summoning of the meeting of so-called South-East leaders to recommend that if Ude Okoye was not adopted as secretary, they would pull out of the PDP,” Wike alleged.
Wike also accused party officials of attempting to sideline Anyanwu by presenting the deputy national secretary as acting national secretary, and using a letter from him to call for a National Executive Committee meeting, moves Wike said were “In complete violation of the agreements reached.”
He cited an incident on May 24, 2025, in Jos, where a PDP zonal elective congress was aborted because INEC refused to attend. The reason, he said, was because the letter of invitation was signed by the deputy national secretary, not the duly recognised national secretary.
“This is undeniably distasteful, provocative and annoying, to say the least,” Wike added.
Reflecting on his long association with the PDP since 1998, Wike expressed dismay that those he helped to rise to political prominence had turned against him. “It is on record that none of these persons have done anything close to what I have done to sustain this party,” he said.
“What is more painful is that I contributed substantially to most of these governors winning their elections, yet I have not made any personal demands on any of them and I would never do so,” he added.
The minister said he has lost faith in the trust and camaraderie that once existed among party stakeholders and would no longer participate in any further reconciliation deals.
“I have now firmly decided to pull out of all agreements hitherto reached. I have decided to fight on until justice is attained,” the minister said.
But when contacted, the Special Adviser to Governor Makinde on Media, Sulaiman Olarenwaju, declined to comment on the allegations against the governor.
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