Media Chat: PDP Slams Wike Over Alleged Anti-party Activities

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction loyal to the Kabiru Turaki-led National Working Committee has condemned what it described as the “anti-party activities” of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, branding him a “permanent agent provocateur” whose “mask is finally off.”

LEADERSHIP had earlier reported that Wike, during an end-of-year media chat on Monday, declared his support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.

In a strongly worded statement issued on Monday, the party accused the FCT minister of openly engaging in anti-party conduct after he reportedly described himself as the “number one supporter” of the presumptive presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 election while still laying claim to PDP membership.

The statement, signed by the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, said Wike’s comments validated the grounds for his expulsion from the party.

“By his end-of-year media chat, Minister Nyesom Wike has reiterated his support for, and in fact declared that he is the ‘number one supporter’ of the presumptive candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2027 presidential election, while remaining a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, confirming the basis of his expulsion from the PDP for anti-party activities,” the statement read.

The party described Wike’s stance as “nothing less than a locus classicus of anti-democratic adventurism,” arguing that his conduct followed a long-standing pattern of political disruption.

“This attitude of Nyesom Wike is not new, as he has been a constant agent provocateur in the political space, creating trouble to mask his selfish intentions,” the statement said.

Recalling Wike’s role in previous leadership crises within the PDP, the party said that since assuming office as governor of Rivers State in 2015, he had played prominent roles in internal party disputes at the national level.

“From the Sheriff era, where he was a forerunner in the Sheriff-for-National Chairman movement and later turned to fight and remove Sheriff; later he championed the Uche Secondus-for-National Chairman movement and then was the same person fighting to remove Secondus,” the PDP stated.

It further alleged that Wike led the push for the emergence of Dr Iyorchia Ayu as National Chairman against the advice of many party leaders, only to later spearhead the agitation for Ayu’s removal.

Beyond national leadership battles, the party accused the former Rivers State governor of undermining democratic practices within the state, citing alleged imposition of candidates, exclusionary internal processes and the prevention of a duly nominated PDP presidential candidate from campaigning in a PDP-controlled state.

According to the statement, such actions “remain troubling departures from democratic norms.”

The PDP also accused Wike of thriving on perpetual conflict, claiming that he feeds on attention and seeks relevance through “calculated disruption.”

“All through the interview, Minister Wike showed obvious signs of fear of losing the attention of the President, his slipping grip of Rivers State, and his frustration with the unbending nature of the true leadership of the PDP at the national level,” the party claimed.

It said the cumulative effect of Wike’s actions had been the deliberate creation of tension and division within the party, often deployed to advance narrow political interests.

“Recent public statements and alignments now make clear that Wike and his group of friends have openly chosen to work against the PDP’s collective interest in favour of an opposing political platform,” the statement added.

The party said Wike and his associates, including Samuel Anyanwu, had openly declared their intention to support President Tinubu and the APC in the 2027 presidential election.

“Now that the mask of his pretence is off, Nigerians are now clearly aware of their disposition to destroy the PDP as a part of their bargain to support the President—a clandestine agreement reached for their selfish reasons,” it said.

PDP also issued a legal caution to the minister, noting his background as a lawyer. “We remind Wike that as a lawyer, he knows that agreements made to achieve an illegal purpose are not enforceable and should not be encouraged”.

Reaffirming confidence in its prospects ahead of the 2027 polls, the party assured Nigerians that it would field a credible presidential candidate capable of securing widespread support.

“We assure Nigerians that the PDP will field a credible presidential candidate who will receive the massive support of Nigerians and will go on to win the presidential elections in 2027. Our party is the Peoples Democratic Party, and no one person has the capacity to personalise the party,” it stated.

The party assured that the Turaki-led NWC was working tirelessly to reposition the PDP.

“The Kabiru Turaki-led National Working Committee is working around the clock to rebuild the party, clear the issues in court, and prepare the party for electoral success come 2027,” it concluded.