Wike denies pledge to hand PDP to Tinubu ahead of 2027
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has denied claims that he promised to deliver the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike spoke during a media chat at his office in Port Harcourt on Monday, responding to allegations by Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, who accused him of fuelling the crisis within the PDP and encouraging defections of governors, lawmakers and party leaders to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Makinde had earlier said he regretted supporting Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election, arguing that the decision did not produce the outcome he had hoped for. He traced the breakdown of his relationship with Wike to a meeting with the president shortly after the election.
According to Makinde, Wike told Tinubu during the meeting that he would “hold PDP” for him ahead of the 2027 election, a statement he said shocked him and convinced him to distance himself from the minister.
“I was in a meeting with the president and Wike, and I’m saying this in an open chat. The president’s chief of staff was also in that meeting and a few others,” Makinde said. “And Wike said to the president that, well, Sir, I will hold PDP for you in 2027.
“I was in shock. When we got up and moved to the veranda, I asked him, ‘Wike, did we agree to this?’ From that day, I told him I would never be part of it. He can support whoever he wants, but it is also my right to decide who I will support and the role I will play in 2027.”
Makinde said he later raised the issue with a mutual friend in the hope that Wike would reconsider his position, but claimed the minister never backed down.
Responding, Wike dismissed the allegation as false and accused Makinde of acting out of frustration. He denied ever promising to “hold PDP” for Tinubu and questioned why Makinde did not raise the issue earlier if such a statement had truly been made.
“First of all, you must ask what that meeting was all about, and what would have led me to promise to hold PDP for Tinubu,” Wike said. “Why didn’t Seyi Makinde come out at the time to tell the party what he claims I said? Why wait until now?
“Let me put the record straight. There was no such meeting where I made that statement. Myself and some former governors, including those from Benue, Abia and Enugu states, went to see the president after the election to discuss certain issues. That was all.”
Wike described the allegation as “very unfair” and said Makinde lacked the political maturity to understand how power dynamics work, adding that politics was not the same as managing contracts.
“If you watch Seyi, you will see frustration,” Wike said. “There is nothing wrong with ambition, but it must be pursued according to the rules. He does not even have the courage to openly tell people that he wants to run for president.”
Makinde, however, insisted during his own media chat in Ibadan that he had what it took to contest for the presidency if he chose to do so.