Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former Rivers State governor, has withdrawn from all reconciliation agreements within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), blaming Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State for the party’s ongoing crisis.
In a detailed statement issued Sunday, Wike attributed the PDP’s internal strife to post-2023 election fallout, highlighting a “steady decline into dishonesty and lack of trust among key stakeholders.”
“Since after the 2023 General Election, the PDP has been wantonly swinging from one part of a slippery precipice to another,” Wike said, emphasizing that multiple efforts to halt this “virus of dishonesty and treachery” have failed. He accused Makinde of being the “architect of our problems,” pointing out his repeated failure to honor agreements reached during peace talks.
At a G5 governors’ meeting in Lagos, Wike confronted Makinde, stating, “non-adherence to agreements reached was the bane of the party, and that he was the chief culprit of this anomaly.” Subsequently, a larger meeting convened in Abuja at Senator Bukola Saraki’s guest house, attended by Governors Bala Mohammed, Umaru Fintiri, Makinde, and Saraki himself, produced several resolutions aimed at stabilizing the party.
Among these were the recognition of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary, the withdrawal of all legal cases related to Rivers State, and the termination of suits concerning a state of emergency in Rivers. However, Wike lamented that these agreements were “quickly and brazenly violated” even before the Saraki committee began its work.
He accused Makinde and Enugu Governor Peter Mbah of orchestrating a meeting of South-East leaders to push for Ude Okoye as National Secretary, threatening to pull out of the party if their demand was not met. Wike also condemned attempts to sideline Anyanwu by installing the Deputy National Secretary as acting National Secretary and using his letter to convene a National Executive Committee meeting, describing these as breaches of prior agreements.
Wike cited an incident on May 24, 2025, in Jos, where a PDP zonal elective congress was aborted because INEC refused to attend, due to the invitation letter being signed by the Deputy National Secretary rather than the recognized National Secretary. He called this “distasteful, provocative and annoying.”
Expressing dismay over the betrayal by party members he helped politically, Wike said, “It is on record that none of these persons have done anything close to what I have done to sustain this party.” He added, “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.”
Wike concluded by announcing his withdrawal from all reconciliation deals and a commitment to continue fighting until justice is achieved. The PDP and implicated leaders have not yet responded.
