Wike Slams Obi For Leaving LP Amid Crisis

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has taken a swipe at former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, accusing him of lacking the leadership capacity to manage internal party crises.

Wike made the remarks on Sunday while addressing delegates at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2026 National Convention held at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium. He drew parallels between Obi’s political moves and recent defections by some PDP governors to the All Progressives Congress.

“Leadership is not an easy task. Leadership requires courage. Leadership requires firmness. Leadership requires commitment,” Wike told party faithful.

The minister argued that both the defecting governors and Obi had demonstrated a lack of the qualities required to lead, particularly in times of crisis.

“What you see that has happened, the faction of some governors who have left have only shown you they lack the leadership traits. I liken them to the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party,” he said.

Wike specifically criticised Obi’s exit from the Labour Party, noting that the party had provided him a platform to pursue his presidential ambition, which he allegedly abandoned when internal disputes arose.

“The presidential candidate of the Labour Party before wanted to be president. And they gave him a platform. And that platform was the Labour Party. When crisis came in the Labour Party, it was time it was required for him to show leadership. He ran away because he could not solve problems,” Wike said.

Drawing further comparisons, he added, “The same thing, when our governors were looking for a platform to be governor, they became governors. When crisis came, for them to show leadership, for them to show men of vision and courage, they ran away. This is to tell you those who can stand when there are crises.”

Obi, who placed third in the 2023 presidential election behind President Bola Tinubu and former vice-president Atiku Abubakar, defected to the African Democratic Congress in 2025.

He has since emerged as a central figure in a growing opposition coalition on the ADC platform, alongside Atiku, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and ex-Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, among others, as they position themselves to challenge President Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.