The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has issued a stern warning to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), cautioning that any attempt to bring former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, back into its ranks would be catastrophic.
During a media interaction on Monday, Wike said the PDP had repeatedly ignored internal calls for fairness, leading to its heavy defeat in the 2023 general elections. He recalled how he and some party leaders had cautioned against the lopsided arrangement where both the presidential candidate and the national chairman emerged from the North, describing the decision as a political miscalculation.
“From day one, I told my colleagues, PDP, you are shooting yourself. If you allow what is going on to continue, you’ll pay. And what did I say? You cannot have the presidential candidate at the same time as the national chairman of the party,” Wike emphasized.
According to him, the PDP leadership “stole” both the presidential ticket and the chairmanship position, a move that worsened its electoral woes. “It is better now you have stolen the presidential ticket—and again stole the national chairman. I said it will purge you. And it really purged them. I have no regret for it,” he declared.
The former Rivers State governor dismissed speculations of Obi’s return, describing such a step as political hypocrisy. “To what? Bringing Obi to where? You want to kill the party? Obi that was abusing the party, saying it is rotten—so the party is now good enough for him? Ambition can make people even go to Satan’s house,” he said.
Wike reaffirmed his belief that zoning and power rotation are the only mechanisms that can restore equity and stability to the PDP. “If you want to destroy this party, dare it—bring Obi. There’s no way he will come back just because of ambition. No more ideology, no longer principle,” he concluded.
okay.ng reports that the PDP has been grappling with internal divisions since its loss in the 2023 elections, with calls for reforms and debates about leadership still dominating political conversations.
