FEDERAL Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, has rejected claims that he promised President Bola Tinubu that he would work to ‘hold down’ the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Mr Wike’s denial follows remarks by Oyo State Governor, Mr Seyi Makinde, last week, that the former Rivers State governor offered to undermine the PDP to boost Tinubu’s political prospects in 2027.

Speaking at a media chat at his office in Port Harcourt on Monday, Mr Wike dismissed the allegation as false and suggested Makinde’s comments stemmed from frustration over his unwillingness to publicly declare his own presidential ambition.

Mr Wike questioned the logic of the alleged arrangement, asking why he would agree to such a deal and why Makinde had never previously raised the issue within the party. He said no private meeting with the president involved any such pledge, explaining that he and fellow former governors Mr Samuel Ortom, Mr Okezie Ikpeazu, Mr Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, and Mr Makinde met Tinubu after the 2023 elections to discuss general political matters in the presence of the president’s Chief of Staff.

He warned, however, that the PDP’s chances in 2027 could be further weakened if its internal divisions persisted.

“We have a leadership that is not focused and does not know what to do or take suggestions,” Wike said. “If the leadership is committed and admits mistakes, then we can make corrections. By 2027, the PDP may face difficulties, but the party cannot be allowed to fail.”

The PDP has been grappling with internal crises since the 2023 elections and has lost several members — including serving governors — to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Since the 2023 elections, 7 governors of the party have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), including Mr Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Mr Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers), and Agbu Kefas (Taraba).

Mr Wike also accused Mr Makinde of seeking absolute control of the party and of obtaining an ex parte order from an Ibadan court to further his political ambitions. The two former allies have been at odds in recent months over the control of the party.

Mr Wike described the comments as unfair, saying, “Politics is not like being a contractor with Shell. Ambition is fine, but it must be pursued according to the rules.”

Makinde’s claims

Oyo State Governor, Engr Seyi Makinde, claimed last week that Mr Wike promised to weaken the PDP for President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

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Speaking at a media parley in Ibadan, Oyo State capital last Tuesday, Mr Makinde said his grouse with Mr Wike started when they both visited President Tinubu after the 2023 election.

“I was with the President. The President’s Chief of Staff was also in that meeting. The Minister of the FCT was in that meeting too. Wike told the President right there that he would deliver the PDP to him. When we went outside, I asked him,’is that what we agreed?’ That is just the issue I have with him.The President did not ask him to do that, but maybe he wanted to run an errand that he was not sent to do,” Mr Makinde told senior journalists.

He further vowed that he would not support the idea of backing President Tinubu in 2027, stressing that a one-party state was dangerous for democracy.

“I thought he would back off after that promise to the President, but he did not back off. Let me make it clear, I will not support the President in 2027,” he noted.

He had noted that Nigeria risked the Arab Spring when politicians defected to the ruling party without considering the level of hunger in the land.

He noted that he was in politics for a diferent reason. “I am not looking for money in politics,” he said. “I made my first $1 million in 1997. Wike, perhaps, just left the law school at that time, and his next job was local government chairman,” he said.

On whether he will contest the 2027 presidential election, Mr Makinde said he was qualified to do so but noted that his priority was different.

“I hear that a lot about me having a presidential ambition. Let me make this clear, I am qualiied to serve this nation at the highest level. Professionally, I ran a company at a very young age of 29. I did not go to the NNPC. I worked mostly in multinational companies, including Shell and ExxonMobil.”