Monday, May 26, 2025 - The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) further took a nosedive this weekend as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, pulled out of all reconciliation agreements previously reached within the opposition party.
In a statement released today, May 25 and personally signed
by himself, the former Rivers state governor blamed Oyo State Governor, Seyi
Makinde, for the problems rocking PDP, warning that “non-adherence to
agreements reached was the bane of the party, and that he was the chief culprit
of this anomaly.”
Wike accused key party leaders, including Enugu State
Governor Peter Mbah, of betrayal, dishonesty, and serial violations of mutual
understandings.
While tracing the roots of the PDP’s internal turmoil to the
aftermath of the 2023 general elections, the minister pledged to “fight on
until justice is attained.” In the statement released, Wike accused Governor
Makinde of sabotaging reconciliation efforts.
“I made it
clear to the Governor of Oyo State, HE, Seyi Makinde, that he was the architect
of our problems, pointing out to him that non-adherence to agreements reached
was the bane of the party, and that he was the chief culprit of this anomaly,”
Wike stated
Read the full statement below…
‘’PDP
CRISIS: MY POSITION
1. Since
after the 2023 General election, the PDP has been wantonly swinging from one
part of a slippery precipice to another, owing fundamentally to dishonesty and
lack of trust amongst its key stakeholders. To stem this ugly trend, efforts
have been made to arrest this pernicious virus of dishonesty and treachery and
enthrone fidelity to agreements with a view to stabilizing the party and moving
it forward.
2. To this
end, a meeting of the G5 was held in Lagos. In that meeting, I made it clear to
the Governor of Oyo State, HE. Seyi Makinde, that he was the architect of our
problems, pointing out to him that non-adherence to agreements reached was the
bane of the party, and that he was the chief culprit of this anomaly. At the
end of the meeting, we resolved to bury the hatchet and make progress.
3. As a
follow-up to the aforementioned meeting, there was an expanded meeting in Abuja
involving HE. Seyi Makinde, HE. Umaru Fintri, HE. Bala Mohammed, HE, Bukola
Saraki, and I in Saraki’s guest house. In that meeting, I made it clear that I
had no personal problems with HE. Bala Mohammed, except that he hides under the
facade of Chairman of PDP Governors Forum to serially renege on agreements.
Tensions rose mightily in the meeting and it took all concerned to calm frayed
nerves. At the end of the meeting, we came to some resolutions, including:
a. That
Senator Samuel Anyanwu remains the National Secretary of the PDP in tandem with
the Supreme Court judgement.
b. All legal
matters relating to Rivers State must be withdrawn by the National Legal
Adviser.
c. The suit
on the State of emergency be withdrawn forthwith.
d. Nobody
should deviate from the agreements so reached.
In the light
of the foregoing, they pleaded with me to attend the stakeholders’ meeting at
the Bauchi Government Lodge, regardless of my many engagements. I attended the
meeting and clearly reiterated my earlier concerns, and to this end and in
order to resolve all other lingering and pending issues, a committee was
formed, headed by HE. Bukola Saraki.
4. It is
disheartening to note that even before the Bukola Saraki Reconciliation
Committee began its work, the gentleman’s agreement we reached at Saraki’s
Guest House was already being crudely violated. To my chagrin, Seyi Makinde had
connived with Peter Mba of Enugu State to orchestrate the summoning of the
meeting of so-called South-East leaders to recommend that if Ude Okoye was not
adopted as Secretary, they would pull out of the PDP. I have since granted an
interview to the effect that, that resolution of the South-East leaders cannot
hold.
Again, Seyi
Makinde organized some people in the National Secretariat to insist that the
Deputy National Secretary should act as National Secretary, in violation of the
agreement earlier reached. To attempt to give credence to this farce, a letter
was written by the Deputy National Secretary, calling for a meeting of the NEC
of the party. Furthermore, the letter confirming the candidacy of the
Governorship candidate of the party in the forthcoming Governorship elections
in Anambra State, duly signed by the National Secretary, Senator Anyanwu and
the acting National Chairman, was portrayed as rejected by the party through a
rebuttal letter signed by the National Publicity Secretary, acting on the
orders of Seyi Makinde and Peter Mba. All these actions are in complete
violation of the agreements reached and would not do the party any good
whatsoever. On the 24th of May 2025, in Jos, for instance, a well-publicized
and properly attended zonal elective congress of the PDP was aborted because
the letter inviting INEC to the congress was signed by the Deputy National
Secretary of the party. INEC refused to attend because the proper signatory
recognized by law, that is Senator Samuel Anyanwu was not a signatory to the
invitation notice. This is undeniably distasteful, provocative and annoying, to
say the least.
5. I have
painstakingly put out all these facts so that PDP members and the general
public would know the truth. I have been in this party since 1998 and have
worked tirelessly for the survival of this party with all my strength and it is
on record that none of these persons have done anything close to what I have
done to sustain this party. What is more painful is that I contributed
substantially to most of these governors winning their elections, yet I have
not made any personal demands on any of them and I would never do so.
Most
importantly, I had thought that we could keep the trust amongst us, but since
it is now obvious that they would continue to play games to the detriment of
the party, as is the case in the current debacle in the North-Central zonal
elections, I have now firmly decided to pull out of all agreements hitherto
reached. I have decided to fight on until justice is attained.
Nyesom
Ezenwo Wike, CON
Minister,
Federal Capital Territory
May 25,
2025''
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