The Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, has asserted that his efforts were pivotal in transforming the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into a dominant political entity at both the national and state levels. Speaking during his monthly live media interaction in Abuja on Monday, Wike emphasized his role in the party’s ascendancy.
Addressing criticisms from Chief Bode George, a senior member of the PDP Board of Trustees, regarding the sealing of the party’s National Secretariat, Wike responded sharply. “If an elderly man has no job, he should sit at home and read his newspapers,” he remarked, suggesting that George’s criticisms stemmed from idleness.
Wike further clarified the issue of the sealed secretariat, explaining that neither he nor the party could pay the ground rent because “the property was not registered in their names.” He stressed, “I cannot pay because, first of all, it is not in my name. They cannot pay because the property is not in their name.”
The minister also disputed George’s claim that PDP made him, asserting instead that individual effort is what builds the party. “Bode George said PDP made me by giving me a national profile, and I agree. But the party does not make you; you are the one who makes the party win elections,” Wike stated.
He challenged George to reflect on PDP’s influence in Lagos, noting, “Ask Bode George who PDP has made popular in Lagos since 1999? You are speaking to me, someone who has laboured and campaigned for the party to become the major political force at both state and national levels.”
Wike also highlighted the struggles of PDP in George’s home state, remarking that even during former President Jonathan’s tenure, efforts to strengthen the party there were unsuccessful. “Even when Jonathan was in power, we knew what we did for PDP to take over power, but it did not succeed,” he added.
