PDP Defends Wike’s Support For Tinubu, Tackles APC Governors

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has defended the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying the former Rivers State governor remains a political force that cannot be ignored ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The party was reacting to the reported position of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors’ Forum rejecting the political support being offered by Wike to President Tinubu.

In a statement issued yesterday by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, the party said the APC governors should not regard Wike as a political liability, arguing that he has the constitutional and democratic right to determine whom he supports politically.

The PDP said Wike’s support for Tinubu did not amount to an endorsement of the APC or mean that he had abandoned the PDP.

According to the party, Wike could support the president while retaining his political identity and relationships within the PDP.

It said the APC governors had initially misconstrued Wike’s support for Tinubu as an endorsement of the ruling party, but were now realising that supporting the president did not necessarily mean abandoning the PDP.

The PDP also faulted the reported demand by the APC governors that Wike should not support or field candidates capable of challenging them and their preferred candidates in the 2027 elections.

The party said such a position amounted to a misunderstanding of the democratic process, stressing that political parties had the right to field candidates for elective positions.

“The APC Governors’ demand is not only politically curious but a complete political miscalculation,” the PDP said, adding that it allegedly reflected anxiety within the ruling party over the prospect of facing strong opposition candidates in 2027.

The opposition party further claimed that it had stabilised and was preparing to field candidates across elective positions who could challenge APC governors and their preferred candidates at the polls.

It questioned why governors who claimed to have performed well in office would be opposed to strong opposition candidates contesting against them.

“If they have truly performed and retained the confidence of their people, they should welcome a contest and allow the electorate to decide,” the party said.

The PDP also argued that Wike had demonstrated political organisational and mobilisation capacity through his years as Rivers State governor and his current role as FCT minister.

It said rejecting his support while seeking electoral victory for Tinubu was “politically irrational,” given what it described as his ability to contribute to the president’s political project.

The party questioned whether the APC governors were more concerned about securing their own political victories than contributing to Tinubu’s victory in 2027.

“A governor who truly wants the President to win should welcome every credible political force capable of contributing to that victory,” the PDP said.

The party urged the APC Governors’ Forum to concentrate on governance, accountability and performance instead of attempting to determine whom Wike should support politically.

It also challenged the governors to account for the resources accruing to their states through the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) and ensure that local governments received funds due to them without undue interference.

The PDP described Wike as “an asset, a mobiliser and a force capable of contributing significantly to electoral victory” for Tinubu.

It, however, said the electorate would ultimately determine the political fate of candidates and parties in 2027.

“At the appropriate time, Nigerians will decide with their votes. Those who have performed will present their records, while those who have failed will face the judgment of the electorate,” the party said.

The PDP maintained that it would not abandon the electoral field, saying it would field candidates, mobilise voters and seek to provide an alternative in the 2027 elections.

“The message to the APC Governors’ Forum is simple: Chief Barrister Nyesom Wike is a force to reckon with, not a force to reject,” the party said.