The People’s Democratic Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party, Coalition of United Political Parties, and others have strongly criticised the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for openly declaring his plan to lead President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign.
During a media chat on Monday in Abuja, Wike described himself as a key asset in helping Tinubu win the 2027 election.
The former Rivers State Governor also insisted he was not involved in any anti-party activities and challenged the PDP to suspend him if they believed otherwise.
In response, the party’s Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, urged Nigerians to disregard Wike’s comments, stating that the party would soon enforce its rules against the minister.
The CUPP’s Publicity Secretary, Mark Adebayo, labelled Wike as the “President’s hatchet man”, accusing him of working to dismantle opposition parties.
The NNPP asserted that Tinubu would be defeated in 2027 despite Wike’s endorsement.
Speaking on Monday during a media parley in Abuja, Wike said, “I am still in the PDP. I worked hard for the party. I have not seen anybody who has the guts to tell me, ‘Wike, you are not a member of the party.’ Who is that? What is his contribution to the party that is more than mine?”
Wike noted that the PDP violated the agreement for a southern candidacy for President and supported former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, hence his refusal to endorse the party’s 2023 presidential candidate.
“In 2023, did I not tell you that I wouldn’t support their presidential candidate? I said, based on equity, justice, and fairness, the presidency should go to the South because you can’t have that and the national chairman at the same time.
“You, therefore, take one and give us one. Believing that Atiku would win, they said to hell (with it), and I said I was not going to support.
“So, why didn’t I leave the party and join APC? Of all of us then and PDP governors today, who produced National Assembly 100 percent? Who produced a governor? Ask them in their various states how many senators they have,” he said.
Wike referred to himself as a valuable asset, emphasising his key role in securing Tinubu’s re-election in the 2027 general elections.
“I am not a liability, I am an asset. Whether you agree or you don’t agree, I am an asset. Whether you want to die or you don’t want to die, I am an asset. It doesn’t matter, you may not like me. I am an asset to making sure that Tinubu wins his second term,” Wike boasted.
The ex-Rivers governor also spoke on the chances of the PDP in 2027, stating that the PDP has a leadership problem, which was responsible for the mass defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress, particularly in Delta State and Akwa Ibom.
“It’s a party leadership problem. Look at it. You won’t tell me that they didn’t have intelligence that Delta would go. You won’t tell me that they didn’t have intelligence that Akwa Ibom would go.
“Now, as the leadership, what would you do? Send a team, ‘ask them ‘why are you doing this?’ No, you’re making a mistake. Impunity; let them go. Look Opposition does not do impunity. No, no, no, we try to beg, beg. Put everybody together. You don’t say, let them go. Let me tell you, I cannot do that,” the minister insisted.
In response, a senior PDP official described the party as one that upholds law and order, stating that it would soon take disciplinary action against Wike in accordance with its rules.
He stated, “This party is a party of process. We have the structures, processes, and laws that we’re following. At the right time, we shall enforce our laws on him and others.
“When somebody says nobody can remove him from the party, that is just his view. The PDP is bigger than any individual. And my answer is very simple: opinion is free, but facts are sacred. Policies are sacred. Rules and regulations are sacred. While he is entitled to his view, I can tell you that, at the right time, the party will enforce its rules.”
The PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Osadolor called on Nigerians and party members to disregard Wike.
In an interview, Osadolor stated that the FCT minister no longer holds any significant influence within the PDP, and expressed confidence that President Tinubu would be defeated.
He stated, “The truth is that Wike has lost the class and influence he once had among the leadership of the People’s Democratic Party. That is not to say he is not an influential Nigerian, but the kind of command, control, and leverage he previously held within the party has been completely stripped from him.
“So, when you see him crying or wailing now and then, it’s more of a reactionary outburst than something to be taken seriously. You see, the PDP stands a very good chance of wresting power from the current government in this country.
“Even with Wike’s support, we saw what happened in Rivers in 2023. So, Nigerians should not be deceived by sensational speeches or media chats. No matter how much he cries or postures, Nigerians are already determined that this government will be a one-term government.
“And the beautiful part is that it’s not the PDP alone that will accomplish this. The PDP is merely a vehicle — Nigerians want to use it to send their message. And that message will be loud and clear.
“So, for me, I urge Nigerians and the PDP to ignore the drama from Wike and other wicked ones who may rise before the elections. We should keep our eyes on the ball and block out distractions like these, so they don’t cloud our focus. Our direction is clear: to reclaim our mandate from those involved in this current power grab in Abuja.”
In his reaction to Wike’s declaration of support for Tinubu, a member of the PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Bode George, said the main opposition party would field a candidate of southern extraction who must be a member of the party.
He added that the party would by no means work for the re-election of Tinubu because he belongs to another political party.
He said, “All these people junketing, do they think that the only man who can be President in 2027 is Bola Tinubu? The PDP will not rally round Tinubu, he is not a member of our party.”
He also chided the recent defectors from the PDP to the ruling APC, questioning their motives for jumping ship.
“Those who are moving, are they going to meet an empty party? There are people who are already serving there. It is heartbreaking that people who were elected on the programmes of the PDP are leaving to join another party. I don’t know what their reasons are. What is so pleasing about the other party? Is the electorate happy? They are angry because they are hungry.”
That said, the retired Navy Commodore vowed to lead the PDP campaign in its search for a presidential candidate both in the 2027 and the 2031 polls.
“In 2027, it will still be the turn of a southerner, and we will find a southerner in PDP. In 2031, it will go back to the north. I will fight and lead the campaign for whoever will win the flag of the PDP in 2031,” he pledged.
The elder statesman also blamed the failure by the main opposition party to stick with its zoning principle as the cause of its current struggles, stressing, however, that the PDP had resolved to put its house in order.
“The PDP is a very organised party. We made a mistake in the last presidential convention that was against the set norm, the procedure and the process in our constitution.
“I believe we have learnt a lesson and we have resolved that never again shall we allow the mess created in 2023 to happen again. The procedure of our convention is the procedure of zoning.
“Section 7 (3c) states, ‘The party shall pursue these aims and objectives by adhering to the policy of rotation and zoning of party and public elective offices in pursuance of the principles of equity, justice and fairness.’
“This is still very fresh and current. That convention we had, something went wrong. What political sense does it make by the principles established by the founding fathers of PDP for us to have a candidate from the North in 2023?,” he asked.
Speaking on the matter, CUPP National Publicity Secretary Mark Adebayo stated that Wike’s support would not prevent Tinubu’s expected defeat in 2027.
He stated, “First and foremost, that is the nature of power opportunism. When you see opportunists in power, that is how they behave. That is their character. That is their character configuration as politicians without principles.
“Yes, Wike is officially in the PDP, but we know his heart, soul, and body are in the APC, and he is in cahoots with the President to ensure his re-election. So, I consider Mr. Wike the President’s hatchet man. He’s the political hitman for the President. His assignment is to destroy the opposition parties, especially the PDP.
“He’s an agent provocateur within the PDP. He’s not truly a member; he’s an agent to watch. You know why I call him the President’s hatchet man? Because he’s disrupting and weakening his own party, so the President can have an easy ride for a second term. That’s the issue.
“What I am sure of is that in 2027, hunger, poverty, hardship, and other challenges will easily mobilise Nigerians against President Tinubu and the likes of Wike. So, they will be defeated.
“With the unity of the opposition parties and the anger of the Nigerian people, no endorsement will save President Tinubu from defeat in 2027, regardless of who leads his campaign in any part of the country. This government will be voted out.”
Also, the NNPP National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, called on the PDP to bring its members under control.
Johnson stated that it is Nigerians, who have been enduring hardship, who will ultimately determine Tinubu’s fate in the 2027 election, not Wike.
He stated, “Well, it has long been obvious that the minister for the Federal Capital Territory is not a member or a leader of the opposition. It has been obvious to all Nigerians.
“It is high time the PDP whipped its members, like Wike, into line to adopt the position of the party. But if the party is that weak, as the leader of the opposition party, to do that, then it is obvious they cannot play their role and lead the opposition.
“On his plan to lead President Tinubu’s campaign, I have always said it: 2027 does not have much to do with the decision of the politicians. In 2027, the question for the Nigerian people will be whether they are better off now than they were in January 2023. That would be the golden question, and it will be left to the people to decide.
“So, no matter the endorsements or what have you, the elections are what will count. And from the hardship Nigerians are going through, it is obvious that this government will be voted out.”
Also, the 2023 Vice Presidential candidate of the Action Democratic Party, Okey Udo, condemned Wike’s actions, describing them as anti-party. “One key thing to note is that the party should be above any individual,” Udo stated.
“What Wike is doing clearly amounts to anti-party activity. But then, it also reflects the disorganisation within the PDP. They may fear he could retaliate if disciplined. Besides, no one can predict who will win the 2027 election. At the end of the day, it’s up to politicians to decide their alignments.”
A former APC presidential aspirant in the 2019 election, Charles Udeogaranya, pointed out that Wike’s dual loyalty is unsustainable.
“Wike cannot belong to two political parties at once. He is still a PDP member until he formally resigns and joins the APC,” he observed.
“He should be advised to make a clear choice. That said, everyone is entitled to their political preferences — after all, he has just one vote like the rest of us.”
Similarly, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Yunusa Tanko, questioned Wike’s status as an opposition figure.
“At this point, we can’t realistically regard Wike as a chieftain of the opposition,” Tanko argued.
“You can’t expect him to speak for any opposition party — he would be removed instantly. “It is a case of who pays the piper. There’s a serious lack of discipline within our parties, which is why cross-party allegiances like this are becoming common.”
The Publicity Secretary of the PDP in Ogun State, Kayode Adebayo, said if the country had been practising real democracy, the FCT minister should have been expelled from the opposition party.
Adebayo said, “Wike by affirming his support for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027 is not saying anything new. He has always stated this and is working against the interest of the PDP.
“Unfortunately, we are not practising real democracy in the country; otherwise, this aberration would not have been tolerated till now.
“The national leadership of our party will decide on what to do about his case, but the truth is that Wike should have been expelled from PDP long before now. He is only working to destroy PDP, but we are coming out strongly from all of these shenanigans.”
Speaking with DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS, the National Vice Chairman (South-West) of the PDP, Kamorudeen Ajisafe, maintained that Wike was mature enough to make his choices.
He said, “Wike has a right to his personal opinion, and I will not fault him on that. I cannot tell him what to say; he is a mature person; he is a person of age who can decide to do whatever he wants.”
The Bauchi State PDP Publicity Secretary, Dayyabu Ciroma, stressed that Wike’s days in the party were numbered.
“I have said this time and again, Nigerians are aware of Wike’s stance. He plans to destroy the party, and we will not let that happen.
“At first, it was non-submission to reconciliation, which I also noted that by refusing to submit to reconciliation, the world knows his stance. All I can say is his days are numbered in the PDP,” he emphasised.
The Jigawa State chapter of the PDP said the party cannot be surrendered to the minister.
The party’s Publicity Secretary, Umar Kyari, described Wike’s statement as provocative and unacceptable.
“The party’s position on Wike’s statement is clear: The PDP will not be intimidated or compromised by individuals who seek to undermine its values. We are committed to upholding the party’s principles and values,” Kyari emphasised.
Defending Wike against the barrage of attacks, the APC Publicity Director, Bala Ibrahim, described him as “a democrat” who has the right to express his opinion.
He stated, “You see, I think people are forgetting the understanding or meaning of freedom of expression in a democracy. In a democracy, people have the right to choose. They have a right to decide what they want to do, who to support, and who not to support. And people who do that, I assume they are doing so in consultation with their conscience.
“If I understand Wike correctly, what he said is that he is going to champion the campaign for the success of Tinubu in the FCT.
“Tinubu is the President, and Wike is the Minister for the FCT. He has a duty to see to the success of his tenure. If he sees to the success of his tenure, it is akin to saying he is seeing to the success of the President’s tenure, especially as far as the FCT is concerned. What is wrong with that?
“He said he’s going to champion the campaign for the success of Tinubu in 2027 in the FCT. And he is the one in charge of the FCT. To do the opposite is to say he’s going to support his own downfall. This is logic and simple expression, by my understanding. Wike is a democrat and I don’t see anything wrong in what he said.”
Meanwhile, a former Special Adviser on Media to Wike while he was Rivers State governor, Opunabo Inko-Tariah and the state Chairman of the APC, Chief Emeka Beke, have lampooned the minister for criticising a former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi.
Also, ex-National Secretary of the PDP, Prof Wale Oladipo, refused to fault Wike, but expressed concern over the situation.
“Wike, as far as I’m concerned, is wearing two caps right now. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the PDP, nobody can contest that, and at the same time, he is a federal minister under President Bola Tinubu. So, if he says he is going to support his boss in the next election, personally, I will not fault him.
“You cannot be serving in an administration and at the same time be campaigning against the administration. But what I feel a bit concerned about is the fact that he is a leader and one of the pillars of our party. However, what he is saying is not unprecedented. It has happened before.
“You will recall that when I was the National Secretary of our party, and we were campaigning for former President Goodluck Jonathan, some of our governors defected and formed the All Progressives Congress, and they supported former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Whereas, about two others didn’t defected and they did not work for Jonathan. They stayed inside and worked against the party. I will still personally give kudos to anyone who has the courage to say what he intends to do. The party will act appropriately at the right time. That’s why we have a National Working Committee,” Oladipo said.
