ABUJA, Nigeria – May 25, 2025:
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has formally announced his withdrawal from all agreements previously reached within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), accusing key party figures of betrayal, dishonesty, and deliberate sabotage.
In a detailed public statement issued on Sunday, Wike described the PDP as a party teetering on the edge due to internal dishonesty and a chronic failure to honor agreements. “Since after the 2023 general election, the PDP has been wantonly swinging from one part of a slippery precipice to another,” Wike said, blaming some governors and national officers for reneging on binding resolutions.
Crisis Deepens in PDP Leadership
At the heart of the latest fallout is the controversy surrounding the office of the National Secretary of the party. While a recent Court of Appeal ruling reportedly favors Sunday Udeh-Okoye as secretary, Wike and his loyalists maintain that Senator Samuel Anyanwu remains the legally recognized National Secretary based on a Supreme Court judgment.
Wike alleged that Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah have been orchestrating efforts to undermine previously reached agreements, including pushing the Deputy National Secretary to act in Anyanwu’s place—a move that Wike described as “illegal and provocative.”
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The minister pointed to a failed PDP zonal congress in Jos on May 24 as evidence of the party’s disarray. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), he claimed, refused to supervise the event because the invitation letter was signed by an unauthorized party official.
Familiar Alliances Fracture
Wike also recounted tense reconciliation efforts, including a G5 governors meeting in Lagos and a broader discussion at the Abuja guest house of former Senate President Bukola Saraki. According to him, those meetings were meant to restore unity but instead revealed deeper mistrust.
“Even before the Bukola Saraki Reconciliation Committee could begin its work, the gentleman’s agreement we reached was already being crudely violated,” Wike said.
His outburst comes amid ongoing speculation about his strained relationship with the PDP. Although still officially a member, Wike has openly supported President Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), even granting him political backing during the 2023 general election.
Calls for Expulsion and Party Division
Some factions within the PDP have called for Wike’s suspension or outright expulsion, citing his open fraternization with the APC and actions such as revoking the PDP’s national secretariat land title in Abuja. However, others argue that alienating Wike could deepen the party’s crisis and weaken it ahead of upcoming state elections, including Anambra’s governorship poll.
Wike maintains that he has given his all to the PDP since 1998 and resents the treatment meted out to him by party figures he once supported to office. “I have not made any personal demands on any of them and would never do so,” he insisted.
What Lies Ahead?
While the PDP leadership has yet to issue an official response to Wike’s latest declaration, analysts fear that the party could be heading into a deeper existential crisis if reconciliation efforts fail. The Saraki-led committee is now under pressure to deliver a workable path to unity amid growing calls for a national convention to address the issues threatening the party’s future.
As the PDP continues to struggle with internal strife, the broader political implications for Nigeria’s opposition landscape remain significant—especially with Wike vowing to fight on “until justice is attained.”
