…says “You’ll bury the party”
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has slammed governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for allegedly sidelining him in key party decisions, warning that their current approach could lead to the party’s collapse.
Wike made the remarks during a media parley in Abuja on Friday, expressing disappointment over what he described as deliberate exclusion from major consultations despite his long-standing contributions to the PDP.
“Have I not said it before now that the booby trap you are setting will consume you? The way these present governors are doing, they will bury this party,” the former Rivers State governor said.
Questioning the justification for his exclusion, Wike argued that his current position as FCT Minister should not disqualify him from participating in party matters.
“I am the FCT Minister. Are you telling me that because I am not a governor, you will hold a PDP stakeholders’ meeting and exclude me, and then expect the party to survive?” he queried.
He added that even if he were not a minister, his long-standing service and influence within the PDP should warrant consultation before major decisions are taken.
“Assuming I am not a minister, by the role I have played in the PDP till now, is it right to say I cannot be consulted in taking decisions of the party? Certainly not,” Wike stated.
The minister dismissed suggestions that the PDP’s internal challenges were orchestrated by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), stressing that the opposition party’s troubles were self-inflicted.
“All these talks about APC are rubbish. Is it APC that makes you take wrong decisions? You mean two or three people, because they are governors and receive large allocations, will go and decide, and you tell me to follow? Follow who?” he asked.
Wike’s remarks are the latest in a series of criticisms he has directed at the PDP leadership since leaving office as governor in 2023, underscoring lingering divisions within the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
