“No One Can Sack Me from PDP” – Wike Fires Back At Critics
•••Defends Role In Tinubu’s Government, Slams PDP Leadership For Double Standards
•By Admin
ABUJA – Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike, has issued a defiant response to growing calls for his expulsion from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), declaring that “no one” within the party has the capacity to remove him.
Wike, a former governor of Rivers State and influential figure in the PDP, made the statement during a live media chat on Monday in Abuja, where he tackled his critics head-on and defended his decision to work with the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government.
“I am still in PDP. I worked hard for the party. I have not seen anybody who will have the guts to tell me, ‘Wike, you are not a member of the party.’ Who is that? What is his contribution to the party that is more than mine?” Wike said pointedly.
The FCT Minister recalled his widely publicized stance in the 2023 elections, where he openly refused to support the PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, citing issues of fairness, equity, and zoning.
“In 2024, did I not tell you I won’t support the PDP candidate? I did. I said based on the principle of equity and fairness, the presidency should go to the South,” Wike said.
“Impunity! Because they were romancing the then-incumbent government and believed Atiku would win, they said, ‘Go to hell.’ So I didn’t support.”
He referenced the G5 governors’ decision to demand the resignation of then-PDP National Chairman Iyorchia Ayu, who is also from the North like Atiku, as a condition for backing the party’s presidential ticket.
“You can’t have the presidential candidate and national chairman from the same zone. Take one and give us one. They refused. That’s not equity,” Wike argued.
The minister accused some PDP leaders of hypocrisy, singling out party chieftain Chief Olabode George, who supported the Labour Party during the election.
“Olabode George supported Labour Party. I said I wouldn’t support because there was no likelihood the candidate would win. Yet, we all agreed on supporting a Southern candidate. What offence have I committed by supporting Asiwaju?”
Wike also dismissed claims that his ministerial role in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet is a betrayal of the PDP. He insisted that due process was followed before accepting the appointment.
“I never collected the ministerial position without informing the party. I wrote to the Zonal body, the governor, and the national secretariat. I challenge any of them to deny it,” he said.
He further accused PDP governors of double standards, alleging they have also benefited from appointments under the APC government.
“When the government asked governors to submit names for board appointments, they all wrote and nominated people. So if PDP governors can nominate people into APC government, what is wrong with me, a PDP member, serving as Minister?” he queried.
Reiterating his loyalty to the PDP, Wike said he remains a core member of the party despite his role in the federal cabinet, warning those calling for his sack to evaluate their own contributions first.
“No one can sack me. I know what I have done for PDP. I am not afraid. I will speak the truth always,” he said.
Wike’s outburst comes at a time of renewed tension within the PDP, as internal divisions persist over the party’s future direction and strategy ahead of the 2027 elections.
With his latest comments, Wike has once again placed himself at the center of the storm unapologetic, unrelenting, and firmly entrenched in the unfolding drama of Nigerian politics.
•INDEPENDENTNG.