ABUJA: The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Nyesom Wike, has issued a fresh ultimatum to the Peoples Democratic Party PDP within which to resolve all outstanding issues or risk another round of crisis.
This was as he announced that the crisis within the PDP was “temporarily over” following the departure of what he termed “buccaneers and vampires.”
Wike warned that another round of conflict looms if the party does not accept the outcome of its recent South-South Zonal Congress.
Speaking during a media chat on Monday, Wike also took aim at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, accusing him of desperately seeking the presidential ticket of the African Democratic Congress ADC after realizing he would not get the PDP’s 2027 ticket.
Wike insisted that the PDP must uphold the results of the South-South Zonal Congress, which elected Chief Dan Orbih as the National Vice Chairman.
He stated that the congress’s validity had been affirmed by the courts and warned the party’s leadership that rejecting the outcome would trigger a new crisis.
“If they want another round of crisis, so be it,” Wike declared. “Our Congress was held in Calabar and there is nothing anybody can tell us. The National Vice Chairman of the PDP South South is Chief Dan Orbih. If they don’t agree, that is another round of crisis.”
The minister also rejected the outcome of the South-East Congress, which produced Ali Odefa, stating that court rulings had invalidated Odefa’s membership of the party.
Wike vowed that his faction would not tolerate impunity and urged the PDP leadership to resolve these issues before the party’s national convention in November.
Atiku’s “Hustle” for ADC Ticket
Turning his attention to Atiku, Wike accused the former vice president of being a serial defector driven by his unbridled ambition to secure a presidential ticket.
Wike alleged that Atiku left the PDP because he knew he would not be the party’s candidate for 2027.
Wike traced Atiku’s political history, noting his repeated moves between the PDP, the Action Congress AC, and the APC in pursuit of a presidential ticket.
He noted that Atiku’s current focus on the ADC is purely for the purpose of obtaining a new platform for his presidential ambitions.
Wike also revealed that he had previously led a group of PDP stakeholders in rejecting a recommendation for David Mark, now the National Chairman of the ADC, to become the PDP’s National Chairman.
Wike argued that Mark’s past political record as Senate President did not justify his leadership, questioning his contributions to national development.
