Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has delivered a scathing warning to his own party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), declaring it doomed to lose the 2027 presidential election to President Bola Tinubu if it fails to overhaul its zoning system.
Speaking during a live media session on Monday, Wike criticized the PDP’s blatant disregard for its constitutional zoning rules, which led to both the party’s chairman and presidential candidate in 2023 coming from the northern zone.
Wike said, “If PDP does not take care, and I say it again, watch out for what will happen. You know, selfish interest can kill an organisation. You have not won an election, you are excluding people… Because of selfish interests, they manipulated the system… It will backfire.” He urged the PDP to openly declare that its 2027 presidential candidate will come from the South, warning against repeating the mistakes of 2023.
This turmoil unfolds as former Senate President and PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman Adolphus Wabara inducted 40 new members into the BoT, including ex-governors Samuel Ortom and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, urging them to revive the party’s fortunes. However, internal strife continues to plague the PDP, with leadership crises, defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and unresolved vacancies deepening divisions.
Wike also defended the defection of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to the APC, stating, “What wrong did he do? That he said he was going to support Tinubu, the President, is a crime?” He condemned impunity within the PDP and lamented the party’s failure to organize effectively as an opposition force.
On Rivers State’s political crisis, Wike revealed that suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara visited him with APC governors seeking peace talks but accused Fubara of undermining reconciliation efforts. “This is a self-inflicted injury,” Wike said, emphasizing the need for genuine steps toward peace.
Meanwhile, the PDP Governors Forum announced a seven-member reconciliation committee led by ex-Senate President Bukola Saraki to heal party divisions ahead of critical meetings in May and August.
Wike’s stark message to the PDP is clear: without reform and unity, Tinubu’s APC will dominate 2027 once again.
