… say party has moved on without FCT minister
The Conference of Professionals in the Peoples Democratic Party (CP-PDP) has faulted the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over his verbal attacks on Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, while hosting a live media chat on Monday, noting that his comments were a sign of “frustrations.”
The group stated that the minister’s situation stemmed from realising that his alleged plan to secure maximum support for President Bola Tinubu’s second-term ambition was facing challenges.
They argued that apart from making what they described as “baseless” allegations against Makinde, the former governor of Rivers State also exposed himself during the chat as one of the forces fuelling the lingering leadership crisis in the PDP.
Wike had, during the chat, called Makinde a “liar” for telling Nigerians that he (Wike) arranged a meeting with Tinubu where he promised to “hold down” the PDP for the President to enable him to win the 2027 election.
He alleged that Makinde, who had been nursing a presidential ambition, could not summon the courage to declare so openly, adding that the governor became angrier when his bid to have a ministerial slot did not materialise.
However, the CP-PDP replied that Wike’s outbursts were signs of the frustrations arising from the many political battles he had faced lately.
“Today’s media chat by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike, has further confirmed his frustration over his failure to secure the support of credible Nigerians for President Tinubu’s unattainable re-election bid in 2027.
“The Conference of Professionals in the Peoples Democratic Party (CP-PDP) invites Nigerians to note the Minister’s resort to hubristic invective, diversionary falsehoods, and baseless allegations against Governor Makinde and other credible leaders.
“This outburst stems from their refusal to support the Tinubu administration, which has brought untold hardship and escalated insecurity across the country over the last two years”, the Protem National Coordinator, Barr. Obinna Nwachukwu stated on Monday.
The group further noted, “From Chief Wike’s confessionary responses during the media chat, including his failed attempts to engineer a parallel leadership for the PDP, it is now clear that the travails facing the PDP are contrived to cripple the opposition.
“This is part of a sinister plot to enable President Tinubu to establish a one-party state ahead of the 2027 general elections; a plot the PDP has firmly resisted.
“Through Wike’s media chat, Nigerians can now clearly identify the individuals and motivations behind the subversive court actions against the PDP, the violent attacks on the new National Working Committee duly elected at the Party’s National Convention, the sealing of the PDP National Secretariat, and the attempts to compromise certain INEC officials against the Party.”
The CP-PDP said the party had become “too big and too deeply entrenched to be captured or derailed” by anyone, adding that the resort to personal attacks and allegations against leaders such as Makinde would not get the results the minister expected.
The group argued that, having been expelled by the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee NWC of the party, and not being a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the minister was stranded and now looking for opportunities to pull others down.
“The PDP has moved on without Chief Wike and his associates. Consequently, the CP-PDP will no longer dissipate energy on his antics.
“Instead, the Conference counsels Minister Wike to face his self-inflicted political woes in Rivers State and Abuja, and to steer clear of the PDP and its leadership.
“Furthermore, Wike would do well to use such live media events to allow Nigerians to engage him directly,” the statement added
