The faction of the Peoples Democratic Party loyal to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde launched a blistering attack on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, saying the party now regrets giving him the platform that shaped his political rise.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Wednesday, the faction’s spokesperson, Ini Ememobong, accused Wike of turning against the same party that elevated him from local government chairman to governor and later minister.
The camp, which is aligned with former minister Kabiru Turaki, said it owed Nigerians an apology for helping to build Wike’s political career, arguing that his recent conduct had embarrassed the party both locally and internationally.
The statement came shortly after Wike, during his monthly media chat, insisted that the faction led by Abdulrahman Mohammed remains the legitimate leadership of the PDP.
He also challenged the rival camp to publicly show evidence of its legitimacy, including details of accounts being used for nomination and expression of interest forms.
Wike further threatened to shut down any Abuja property allegedly being used by Turaki’s faction for political activities.
But the Makinde-backed camp dismissed the minister’s comments as “the last kicks of a dying horse,” describing his remarks as reckless and politically desperate.
According to the statement, Wike’s alleged ambition to emerge as a “national leader” of the PDP was unrealistic because such a position does not exist in the party’s constitution.
The faction also accused Wike’s allies of collecting money for party forms through private bank accounts, while insisting that its own processes remain legitimate and ongoing ahead of the 2027 elections.
Ememobong maintained that no amount of intimidation or threats would stop the faction from conducting its activities, including preparations for primaries and a national convention.
The latest war of words highlights the widening crisis within the opposition party following the Supreme Court judgment that unsettled the party’s leadership structure. Both rival camps have since announced separate timetables and different costs for presidential nomination forms ahead of the 2027 elections.
While the Turaki-led bloc fixed its presidential forms at ₦100 million, the Wike-backed faction pegged its own at ₦51 million, deepening confusion over which leadership structure the Independent National Electoral Commission may eventually recognise.
The dispute has also revived memories of the G-5 rebellion before the 2023 elections, when Wike, Makinde and other PDP governors openly opposed the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, over internal disagreements on zoning and party leadership.
