FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed claims that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is behind the ongoing crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying the opposition’s woes are entirely self-inflicted and worsened by the impunity of its governors.
Speaking during a media parley in Abuja on Friday, Wike described allegations against the APC as “rubbish,” insisting that arrogance, exclusion, and disregard for due process have weakened the once-strong opposition.
“All this talk about APC is rubbish,” he said. “Is it APC that is making you take the wrong decision? Is it APC that is making you sideline people?”
Wike accused PDP governors of destroying the party by taking unilateral decisions and sidelining founding members. “As an opposition party, you’re supposed to unite to take over power from the ruling party,” he said. “But in this case, all you are interested in is whether a governor says something or not. You sideline people who have built the party. That is self-destruction.”
He warned that the current leadership’s arrogance and impunity are pushing the PDP toward political irrelevance. “The way these present governors are doing things, they will bury the party,” Wike declared. “When you act with impunity as an opposition, you dig your own grave.”
The minister recalled that during his time as governor, the PDP remained united because its leaders showed commitment and responsibility. “When we were governors, why did no one leave the PDP? It’s because we showed leadership and took responsibility. Today, there’s no commitment, only arrogance,” he said.
Wike also criticised the exclusion of key stakeholders from party decisions, citing instances of consensus candidates being imposed without consultation. “Take for example, as national organising secretary from your zone, how can you adopt someone as a consensus candidate without consulting him? Simply because he’s not a governor?” he asked. “That’s the mistake. You arrogate powers to yourself and expect the party to survive.”
According to him, the PDP’s crisis is not a result of external interference but a consequence of its own leaders’ actions. “I told them before now, the booby trap you are setting will consume you,” he warned. “You cannot build a party on impunity and expect it to stand.”
Boluwatife Enome
