• Says Party’s Crisis Self-Inflicted
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Friday said the recent wave of defections by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors and lawmakers to the All Progressives Congress (APC) has vindicated his long-standing warnings to the party about the dangers of internal impunity and disregard for fairness.

Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja, Wike said the exodus of key figures from the opposition party was a direct consequence of its refusal to correct “the wrong steps” it had taken over the years.

“When I said there would be a political tsunami, people laughed,” Wike stated.

“But you can see it now; governors and senators are leaving their parties. Isn’t that a tsunami? Look at what happened in Edo and Bauchi States, where senators left the PDP for the APC. I said it from day one – if the PDP continues on its current path, it will keep losing.”

The minister recalled that he had consistently urged party leaders to adhere to internal democracy and fairness in decision-making, as persistent disregard for such principles would eventually lead to implosion.
“I’ve been consistent. I warned that if the party failed to correct itself, it would regret it — and that is what is happening today. Even the convention talks, I knew they were playing games. I told them what they were doing would backfire,” he said.
On insinuations that his criticisms stemmed from bitterness over his loss at the PDP presidential primary to former vice president Atiku Abubakar in 2022, Wike dismissed the claim as unfounded.
“That’s not true. I’m not bitter. What I’ve always demanded is fairness and adherence to process. When issues like the party secretary arose, I said, ‘follow the right procedure.’ They didn’t. They thought they could manipulate things — and see where it has led the party today,” he added.

The FCT minister also lamented what he described as the selfishness and overbearing influence of some governors within the party, noting that their unilateral decisions had further deepened PDP’s woes.

“The problem is that some governors act as if the party belongs to them alone. When I was a governor, I warned them not to take certain decisions. If you make decisions solely for your own benefit, it won’t end well. The crisis in PDP is self-inflicted,” he noted.

Reacting to reports linking him to a faction opposing the endorsement of former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, as the PDP’s consensus candidate for national chairman, Wike said it had become a pattern for some party members to blame him for every crisis.

His words: “It’s funny; everything that happens, they say it’s Wike. If it happens in the South, it’s Wike. If it happens in the North, it’s Wike.

“When you sideline people, you create factions. When you disrespect others, you create division. I’ve told them before – if you think you can laugh at certain people and nothing will happen, you’re joking. That’s why the party is in crisis.”

Wike, who was part of those that defended the PDP during its leadership crisis involving former Borno State governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, recalled that a party that had once survived external attempts to destabilise it was being destroyed from within.