"Leave PDP If You Must!" – PDP Support Group Fires Back at Wike, Labels Him Chief Instigator of Party Crisis

 

Wike Faces Backlash from PDP Frontiers Over Accusations Against Makinde, Mbah

Tempers continue to flare within the ranks of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as a support group loyal to the party, PDP Frontiers for Change and Progress, has delivered a scathing response to recent comments by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike. The group accused the former Rivers State governor of being the principal architect behind the turmoil threatening to fracture the party.

Reacting to Wike's strong-worded denunciation of Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Peter Mbah of Enugu State, the PDP Frontiers described the minister's comments as a classic case of projection and hypocrisy. They argued that the minister's ongoing public outbursts serve as distractions and attempts to rewrite the narrative of the PDP's internal challenges.

National Coordinator of the PDP Frontiers, Emeka Yellow Ikpegbu, did not mince words. He condemned Wike’s recent assertion that Makinde and Mbah sabotaged efforts to resolve the party’s leadership rift. According to Ikpegbu, it is Wike, and not the accused governors, who has consistently undermined the PDP from within.

Wike, in his weekend statement, had declared his withdrawal from all informal reconciliation deals within the party, accusing Makinde and Mbah of reneging on a supposed agreement. He claimed that party stakeholders had consented to allow Senator Samuel Anyanwu to retain his position as National Secretary and that all legal actions challenging the imposition of an emergency government in Rivers State would be withdrawn. Wike argued that Makinde and Mbah's alleged defiance of this pact was proof of betrayal and bad faith.

However, Ikpegbu and his group see things differently. They accused Wike of playing a duplicitous game—projecting himself as a peacemaker while sowing seeds of division. “He has mastered the act of destabilization masked as reconciliation. He should stop playing the saint when it’s clear his loyalty no longer lies with the PDP,” Ikpegbu stated.

The support group questioned Wike’s sincerity, citing his actions during the 2023 general elections as a turning point. They alleged that Wike's political maneuvering during that period was more aligned with the interests of the All Progressives Congress (APC) than the PDP, calling him a "mole" within the party ranks.

The statement further criticized Wike’s continued presence in the PDP, suggesting that his withdrawal from gentleman agreements was merely symbolic and insufficient. According to the PDP Frontiers, what the party needs is for Wike to make a clean and honest break. “Now is the time to completely pull out of the party, and not just from some so-called gentleman agreement,” Ikpegbu emphasized.

Painting a picture of internal sabotage, the group accused Wike of orchestrating smear campaigns against key figures in the party, including Makinde and Mbah. They described his faction as a group of “boot-lickers” bent on controlling the party leadership in some states through coercion and manipulation.

The mounting tensions point to a deepening fracture in Nigeria’s main opposition party. With Wike’s open confrontation and the fierce rebuttal from groups like the PDP Frontiers, the road to internal reconciliation appears increasingly elusive. The group warned that if the PDP continues to harbor individuals whose actions contradict its collective interests, the party’s future as a cohesive force could be jeopardized.

While stakeholders continue to jostle for control and legitimacy, observers say the unfolding crisis underscores the urgent need for genuine introspection and structural reform within the PDP. For now, the call from PDP Frontiers is loud and clear: Wike should stop pretending and finally make the break official.