Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike has denied Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde’s claims that he promised to “hold the Peoples Democratic Party down” to ease President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
“What was that purpose that would have led me to say, ‘Mr President, I’ll hold PDP down for you?’” Mr Wike asked in an end-of-the-year media chat in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Monday.
Mr Makinde had, during a media chat in Ibadan, Oyo State, last week, said, “I was in a meeting with President Tinubu, Nyesom Wike, and others when Wike volunteered to hold the PDP for Tinubu against 2027, and I was in shock. Wike can support the president in 2027, but I will not.”
Nonetheless, the governor noted that Mr Wike had the right to make his political choice as others could. He said the feud between him and Mr Wike stemmed from his refusal to join forces with the FCT minister, despite being in an opposition party, to support Mr Tinubu’s re-election.
However, Mr Wike condemned the allegations as unfair, describing Mr Makinde as a frustrated politician whose ambition was not in line with the rules of political engagement.
“Why did Seyi Makinde not come out all this while and tell the party that this is what Wike said?” the minister queried.
“There was no such meeting,” said Mr Wike. “Rather, my humble self, the former governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, the former governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu, the former governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, and Seyi Makinde went to see the president.”
The minister said they had visited Mr Tinubu after the elections “to discuss certain things.”
“So it is completely out of point to say I told Mr President that I would hold PDP down. It is very unfair.
“You can see frustration in Seyi Makinde. And this is the person we have advised severally that politics isn’t about being a contractor with Shell. When did Seyi Makinde come into politics? There is nothing wrong about having ambition, but ambition must be tailored to the rules,” Mr Wike stated.
He further blamed Mr Makinde for all the legal actions that deepened divisions within the opposition party.
“How did the PDP enter this crisis? It is Seyi Makinde’s ambition,” he said.
The FCT minister insisted that party leaders had agreed to allow internal mechanisms to resolve disputes, alleging Mr Makinde intentionally defied consensus.
“We all agreed for the party to move on. He refused and went to the Supreme Court. When he went to the Supreme Court, he lost,” Mr Wike stated.
The feud between the duo deepened following Mr Makinde’s public declaration that he would not support Mr Tinubu in 2027, citing concerns about opposition survival and democratic balance.
Mr Mike, however, maintained that he never offered to undermine the PDP, saying the claims attributed to him were spurious and ill-conceived.
