The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed claims that he pledged to deliver the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections, describing the allegation by Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, as a product of “frustration.”
Wike spoke on Monday during a media interaction at his office in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, in reaction to Makinde’s recent comments that linked him to the deepening internal crisis within the PDP and the spate of defections from the party to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Makinde, while addressing journalists at the Government House in Ibadan, had said he regretted supporting Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election, noting that the political outcome fell short of his expectations. He alleged that his rift with Wike began after a post-election meeting in which the FCT minister purportedly told the president that he would “hold PDP” for him in 2027.
Recounting the incident, Makinde said he was present at the meeting alongside the president, the Chief of Staff and other officials when Wike allegedly made the statement. According to him, he confronted Wike immediately after the meeting and made it clear he would not be part of any plan to compromise the opposition party. Makinde added that he later sought the intervention of a mutual friend to persuade Wike to reverse what he described as a self-imposed political errand, but that no such retreat occurred.
However, Wike flatly rejected the narrative, insisting that no such promise was ever made to Tinubu. He said the only meeting that took place after the election involved himself, Makinde and former governors Samuel Ortom (Benue), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), during which they paid a visit to the president to discuss unspecified post-election issues.
According to Wike, it was misleading for anyone to claim that he volunteered to undermine the PDP at such a gathering. He maintained that he merely contacted the president’s Chief of Staff to recall the purpose of their visit and never discussed “holding down” the opposition party for the ruling APC.
The former Rivers State governor also criticised Makinde’s public disclosure of the alleged meeting, questioning why the Oyo governor failed to raise the matter earlier within the party if it was as serious as he now suggests.
Wike further accused Makinde of being politically unsettled, arguing that his conduct reflected inexperience in navigating party politics. He suggested that the Oyo governor harbours presidential ambitions but lacks the courage to declare them openly, adding that ambition is legitimate in politics but must be pursued according to established norms.
Makinde, for his part, has stated that he possesses the capacity to contest for the presidency if he chooses, a remark that has added fresh layers to the widening schism between key figures in the PDP as the 2027 race gradually takes shape.
