From Victor Osula, Abuja
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has announced his withdrawal from all reconciliation efforts aimed at resolving the lingering crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), vowing to continue the fight until justice is served.
In a strongly worded statement personally signed and released on Sunday, Wike blamed the collapse of peace talks on “dishonesty and lack of trust” among party stakeholders, with particular emphasis on Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, whom he accused of being the “chief culprit” in the party’s internal crisis.
“The party’s persistent failure to honour agreements reached among its leaders is the root cause of its current disunity. And Governor Makinde has been at the centre of this anomaly,” Wike stated.
He recalled a meeting of the G5 in Lagos, where he directly confronted Governor Makinde, accusing him of derailing reconciliation efforts. Despite heated exchanges, he said the group had resolved to set aside differences for the sake of unity.
Wike further recounted another meeting held in Abuja with Governors Makinde, Umaru Fintiri, Bala Mohammed, and former Senate President Bukola Saraki. At the meeting, he clarified that his only concern with Governor Bala Mohammed was his failure to honour agreements while hiding behind the title of PDP Governors’ Forum Chairman.
The Abuja meeting reportedly ended with key resolutions: the retention of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary in line with a Supreme Court judgment, the withdrawal of legal cases involving the Rivers State PDP chapter, and the suspension of a proposed state of emergency suit.
However, Wike lamented that the agreements were violated even before the Saraki-led reconciliation committee could begin its work.
He accused Makinde and Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State of holding a meeting of South-East leaders to push for Ude Okoye’s emergence as National Secretary, threatening to quit the PDP if their demand was not met.
“I have since made it clear that the resolution of the South-East leaders cannot stand,” Wike stated.
The former Rivers State governor also alleged that Makinde orchestrated moves within the National Secretariat to replace Senator Anyanwu with the Deputy National Secretary, against the terms of the Abuja agreement.
“To legitimize this charade, a letter was issued by the Deputy National Secretary convening a meeting of the party’s NEC. Worse still, a letter confirming the PDP governorship candidate for the upcoming Anambra election, which had been jointly signed by the National Secretary and Acting National Chairman, was later disowned through a rebuttal by the National Publicity Secretary acting on the orders of Makinde and Mbah,” he alleged.
He cited the aborted North-Central zonal congress in Jos, scheduled for May 24, 2025, as a clear example of the party’s deepening crisis. According to him, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) refused to attend the event because the letter of invitation was signed by an unauthorized official.
“INEC refused to recognise the congress because Senator Anyanwu, the legally acknowledged signatory, was not the one who signed the invitation. This is nothing short of a calculated provocation,” Wike said.
Reaffirming his long-standing commitment to the PDP, Wike stated, “Since 1998, I have served this party with unwavering dedication. Many of the people undermining the party today cannot match my contributions. I helped most of them win their elections without ever demanding personal favours in return.”
Declaring his total withdrawal from the peace process, he said, “I had hoped that trust could be maintained among us, but given their continued betrayal—especially in the ongoing North-Central crisis—I have decided to pull out of all previous agreements. I will fight on until justice prevails.”
