2027: PDP May Not Survive If Leadership Fails To Act — Wike

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has warned that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may struggle to remain politically relevant by 2027 if its leadership fails to correct what he described as persistent internal mistakes.

Speaking during a media chat on Monday in Port Harcourt, Wike said the wave of defections rocking the opposition party was a consequence of poor and selfish leadership, stressing that leadership remains central to the survival of any political organisation.

When asked if he still considered himself a committed PDP member and whether the party could bounce back from the mass defections, Wike said, “There is nothing that is impossible once you are committed to carrying out due process.”

He added, “What has happened to my party is what I have been saying before now, that if things are not done in the right way, this is where we are going to find ourselves. No Nigerian will say they did not know what I said. I have said it several times.”

Wike emphasised that leadership failure was at the heart of the PDP’s current crisis.

“Leadership is very key, leadership in association, leadership in government. If a leader does not take the right decision, this is how it is bound to be,” he said.

Drawing parallels with past challenges, the former Rivers State governor noted that the party had survived similar crises before because its leadership was willing to make necessary changes.

“We have had this kind of issue before. Nothing collapsed because the leadership was committed to see that certain changes were made,” he said.

However, he accused the current leadership of lacking focus and selflessness. “But when you have a leadership that is not focused, a leadership that is selfish, a leadership that does not understand that equality is different from business, you are bound to see what you are seeing today”.

Warning of dire consequences ahead, he said, “If they don’t correct themselves, by 2027 it is likely that the PDP might not make it.”

Wike maintained that the party’s fate depended entirely on its willingness to admit mistakes and reposition itself. “It is not just about taking over government. You have to position yourself. If the leadership is committed and says, ‘Look, we have made a mistake, what do we do to correct ourselves?’ then there is hope,” he said.

His comments come amid fresh accusations from Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, who has alleged that Wike’s actions were undermining unity and collaboration within the PDP.