PDP Members Defy Wike, Insist He Cannot Destroy the Party
Prominent members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have openly confronted the former Governor of Rivers State and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, declaring that he lacks the power to dismantle the party. The dispute erupted during a heated state congress of the PDP in Rivers State, where Wike, speaking boldly at the party’s secretariat in Port Harcourt, issued a stern warning to other PDP governors to steer clear of the party’s affairs in Rivers State. He even went as far as threatening to create turmoil in their states if they attempted to interfere.
Wike’s warnings were explicit and pointed. He vowed that no one would take control of the PDP structure in Rivers State from him and his loyalists, stating, “Let me assure all of you, not while we live will anybody take away the structure of the PDP from us. But let me tell people, I hear some governors who say they will take over the structure and give it back to somebody. I pity those governors because I will put fire in their states. When God has given you peace, you say you don’t want peace – anything you see, you take.”
These comments from Wike came in response to the PDP Governors’ Forum, led by its Chairman Bala Mohammed, which had earlier called for a review of the results from the recent party congress in Rivers State. The review was aimed at reinstating the leadership of the incumbent Governor Siminalayi Fubara, a move that Wike clearly opposed. This clash highlights the deepening divisions within the PDP in Rivers State, where governance has been thrown into disarray due to the ongoing power struggle between Wike and Fubara, both influential PDP members.
The political tension in Rivers State has escalated to such an extent that the state House of Assembly is now split into two factions, each loyal to either Wike or Fubara. The resulting turmoil has paralyzed legislative functions and has left the state in a state of uncertainty. Despite attempts by President Bola Tinubu and other prominent political figures to mediate between the two factions, no resolution has been reached, with both sides steadfastly refusing to back down.
In an exclusive interview with punch platform, PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary Ibrahim Abdullahi sought to downplay the impact of Wike’s remarks, insisting that the PDP, a party that has weathered numerous challenges over its 25-year history, would not be undone by the actions of a single individual. Abdullahi stated, “Those were his entitled personal opinions at most. They don’t constitute threats to the PDP, which has survived even worse machinations 25 years down the road. No single individual has the capacity to terminate the life of this party, PDP.”
The situation has drawn a sharp rebuke from other PDP leaders. The Osun State chapter of the PDP, for instance, has urged Wike to focus on his responsibilities as a minister and to refrain from making threats against those who support Governor Fubara. The Director of Media and Publicity for Osun PDP, Oladele Olabamiji, condemned Wike’s statement as reckless and irresponsible, arguing that it was inappropriate for Wike to threaten fellow PDP governors who were simply supporting one of their own. “Wike’s statement is rather a reckless and irresponsible one, to say the least. Governor Fubara is not an outcast. He is a PDP governor. On that premise, it is out of place for Wike to threaten PDP governors for supporting one of their own,” Olabamiji remarked.
The criticism of Wike’s actions did not stop there. Sydney Gbara, the Rivers State Commissioner for Environment and a former Publicity Secretary of the PDP in Rivers State, called for security agencies to investigate Wike’s threats, suggesting that they could lead to widespread instability. Gbara expressed his disappointment that a seasoned politician like Wike would make such inflammatory remarks, warning that threatening 13 governors could potentially destabilize the entire country. “Well, I feel that as an elder statesman, nobody will expect that he will make such utterances. So, threatening that you are going to cause crisis in 13 states out of the 36 states in Nigeria means planning to cause crisis in the entire country. That is what it means, security-wise,” Gbara said.
Gbara went on to accuse Wike of giving false hope to his supporters, particularly those defected lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly who had lost their seats. He pointed out that many of Wike’s promises to his supporters had not materialized, and his recent threats were merely an attempt to keep their hopes alive. “We recall that he promised the former local government chairmen that their tenures would be elongated by six months, today they are no longer in office. The assembly people who he advised to cross the carpet to the APC have lost their seats. So, it is just a message of hope so that it won’t look as if they’ve lost out completely,” Gbara added.
The commissioner also called on security agencies to take Wike’s statements seriously and to investigate them as a matter of national security. “It will be good if the security agencies prove that they mean well for the country, to step into such utterances and investigate anybody, somebody that has made such kind of utterances because it’s a direct affront to the security of Nigeria. When you threaten state governors and you promise them that they will never sleep in their states, you promise them that they will never do governance again, all they will face is crisis, it’s a serious issue,” Gbara stressed.
Despite the tension, Gbara expressed confidence in Governor Fubara’s leadership and commended his calm and mature response to the situation. He praised Fubara for not allowing himself to be provoked into further escalating the crisis in Rivers State. “We respect his (Fubara’s) demeanour and we are proud of him that he’s been able to maintain his cool and calm nature. He has been able to display a high level of maturity and a rare virtue of leadership by not being allowed to be cajoled into plunging the state into unnecessary crisis,” Gbara stated.
Gbara also dismissed Wike’s claim that he still controlled the PDP structure in Rivers State, insisting that Governor Fubara was fully in charge and had the backing of the majority of the party’s supporters. He pointed out that the legal challenges surrounding the recent congresses in Rivers State would ultimately be resolved in favor of Fubara. “In Rivers State, when they say being in charge, Governor Fubara is completely in charge, he’s not struggling any structure with anybody. He has the majority of the supporters. As for PDP, they already know who the leader is and they all know. We equally know that the congresses that have been held in Rivers State are all under litigation, of which at the appropriate time, the court of competent jurisdiction will take their decisions as to whether these exercises fit the legal term or not,” Gbara explained.
Gbara concluded by expressing confidence that Governor Fubara would ultimately prevail and that the PDP structure in Rivers State would remain intact under his leadership. “For us, we don’t see it as an issue. Rivers people have moved with Governor Fubara and that is where we are. In the end, we know that he will carry the day. The structure of PDP will be given to the right person like it has always been in the state. This time around it will not be different, so we are not bothered at all,” he said.
Meanwhile, efforts to get a response from the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, proved unsuccessful, as it was reported that he had traveled abroad. However, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mukhtar Gidado, indicated that the governor would respond at an appropriate time after carefully studying the situation. “We are studying the development; we have to study it before responding,” Gidado stated.
In the midst of this ongoing conflict, Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri expressed hope that the crisis within the PDP would soon be resolved. Speaking at the PDP state congress in Yenagoa, Diri reassured party members that the PDP would not collapse and would continue to serve as the main opposition party in Nigeria. “The drama at the national level of our party, we are working to resolve it. This party will not go down. No democracy without opposition. The PDP is the main opposition party and it will continue to play its role until it captures power again,” Diri asserted.
Finally, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, the Special Adviser on Media to the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, clarified that Governor Makinde was not involved in the efforts by PDP governors to intervene in the Rivers State crisis, as he was currently on vacation overseas. Olanrewaju emphasized that Makinde had no connection to Wike’s controversial statements and was not part of the discussions among PDP governors in Taraba. “The Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde is not part of the agreement reached by PDP governors while in Adamawa to intervene in the Rivers crisis, as he is currently on vacation. And so, Governor Makinde is not connected with Wike’s statement,” Olanrewaju explained.
As the internal conflict within the PDP continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how the party will navigate these turbulent times and whether the rift between Wike and Fubara will be resolved. One thing is clear, however: the PDP’s future in Rivers State and its ability to maintain unity on a national level is being tested as never before.