• Minister accuses Fubara of reneging on agreement
The rift between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde deepened yesterday.
Wike, the leader of a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), accused Makinde, whom he described as the arrowhead of the Tanimu Turaki faction, of being the mastermind behind the protracted crisis tearing apart the main opposition party.
The minister alleged during his end-of-year media chat at his residence in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, that the actions of Makinde and some party leaders had contributed significantly to the PDP’s internal instability.
Wike was responding to Makinde’s remarks during a media chat in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, in which the governor claimed that Wike had vowed to “hold the PDP down” for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is seeking re-election in 2027.
He said: “That’s a blatant lie. You ask yourself, what was the purpose of that meeting that would have led me to say, ‘Mr President, I will hold the PDP for you?’
“There was no such meeting. Rather, myself, the former governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom; the former governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu; the former governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; and Seyi Makinde went to see the President.
“We went to see the President to discuss issues. Of course, elections were over. The presence of the President’s Chief of Staff was routine and did not suggest a special political arrangement.
“It is completely out of place for anybody to say that in that meeting, I told Mr President that I would hold the PDP for him. That is very unfair.”
Makinde, who condemned Wike’s position on the crisis, had earlier accused the minister of plotting to destroy the party ahead of the polls.
Before the PDP slid into a prolonged crisis, Wike and Makinde were compatriots in the Group of Five Governors (G-5), who tilted the party’s support towards President Tinubu during the 2023 general election.
Makinde, who declared that he would not support the President’s second-term bid, added that he regretted his 2023 stance.
The Oyo governor had hosted the controversial factional PDP National Convention at the Adamasingba Stadium in Ibadan, where Wike and other party chieftains, including former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose and his Enugu and Abia counterparts – Ifẹanyi Ugwuanyi and Okezie Ikpeazu – were expelled.
Wike also took a swipe at former PDP Deputy National Chairman, Chief Bode George, saying he had little political value to offer the party in Lagos State, his base.
Speaking extensively on the PDP leadership tussle, Wike insisted that the tenure of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) had elapsed.
He warned that if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed to recognise a proposed caretaker committee within the stipulated 60 days, he would explore legal options to compel compliance.
Wike dismissed Makinde’s allegation that he received $1 million to support President Tinubu, saying that while he chose to wield political influence, the governor opted to become “a contractor.”
The minister also criticised Makinde’s political approach, saying he lacked a proper understanding of party dynamics.
He added: “We have advised him several times. Politics is not like being a contractor with Shell. It has different rules.”
Wike accused the governor of masterminding the removal of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as PDP National Secretary in a bid to control the party structure.
He also blamed Makinde for the legal actions that deepened divisions within the party, particularly the dispute over the position of national secretary.
The minister explained his role in the efforts that culminated in Makinde’s victory at the governorship poll.
Wike said Makinde became governor after he and other PDP leaders handed over the party structure in Oyo State to him in 2019, adding that the governor should be grateful.
He also reacted to Makinde’s claim that he made $1 million in profit in 1997 after receiving a Mobile contract of the same amount, while Wike had only just obtained his law degree.
According to Wike, despite Makinde’s claims of wealth, his ambitions to become a senator on the platform of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in 2007 and governor on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 2014 failed until he joined the PDP ahead of the 2019 elections.
He said that despite his million-dollar claims, Makinde sought his help to win elections, adding that while the governor chose to be a contractor, he chose power.
Wike said: “Before 1990, I had my first degree. Law was my second degree. At that time, in 1999, I was chairman of one of the most important local governments in this country. I have never been a contractor. He chose to be a contractor; I chose to have power, and I had the power.
“First of all, in 2007, Seyi ran under ANPP as senator; he lost. In 2013/2014, Mulikat Adeola, former Leader of the House of Reps, one Senator Hosea, whom we call ‘hallelujah’, all brought Seyi to me to give him the PDP structure in Oyo State – the man who had $1 million.
“But he came to the man who had no $1 million to help him get structure. We said no; we will not give you. We gave it to Teslim Folarin. He went to the SDP to run as governor, but he failed.
“Now, it was before 2019 when he came back; we said, now, we are ready to give you the structure. I was already grounded in politics, but I had no $1 million with me. It was when we gave him that structure that Seyi became governor in 2019.”
The minister also chided Makinde for nursing a presidential ambition, saying such a move would face resistance from the northern part of the country.
He said: “If you listened carefully to that media chat, you could see confusion. How did the PDP enter this crisis? It is Seyi Makinde’s ambition. We all agreed that the party should move on. He refused and went to the Supreme Court. When he went there, he lost.
“INEC told them clearly that, as far as their system is concerned, the Secretary of the PDP is Senator Sam Anyanwu.”
Wike, who acknowledged that governors now have increased financial resources following the removal of fuel subsidy by President Tinubu, cautioned that access to more funds could cloud their judgment.
The minister noted the recent defection of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC), but warned that singing “on your mandate we shall stand” would not automatically guarantee him a return ticket.
He accused Fubara of reneging on their political agreement with the intention of using and dumping him.
Wike dismissed claims that Fubara is the “number one” political leader in the state, stressing that there is no such thing as “APC 001” in Rivers State.
He explained that he had facilitated reconciliation meetings between the governor and members of the State House of Assembly, as well as between the governor and the state’s Council of Elders.
He added that he does not require anyone’s permission to convene meetings of his political associates and party leaders.
On his relationship with Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represents the FCT in the Senate, Wike read out a letter in which the lawmaker commended his efforts at transforming Abuja into a model city.
He accused her of double standards over her public criticism of his administration.
On the 2027 general election and the emerging coalition around the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Wike dismissed the alliance as unserious.
He described the reported move by former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, to defect to the ADC as unfortunate.
According to him, if the PDP had put its house in order, it should have remained the main opposition platform challenging the ruling APC.
Wike said 2026 would be a full political year and urged politicians to begin mobilising their supporters.
He boasted about his popularity in the FCT, saying that if local government elections were held today, they would favour President Tinubu because of ongoing development projects.
Wike schools Fubara on peace accord
The FCT minister advised Governor Fubara to commit to the Rivers peace accord and take his relationship with members of the House of Assembly seriously.
He said the governor was economical with the truth when he claimed that Wike did not initiate meetings between him and the Speaker, Martins Amaewhule-led House of Assembly.
Wike said beyond his interventions to advance peace in the state, Fubara should have taken steps to cultivate and nurture cordial relations with lawmakers.
According to him, without a harmonious relationship with the Assembly, the governor would not secure the financial approvals required to carry out projects in Rivers State.
Wike insisted that Fubara had failed to fulfil his part of the agreement and wondered whom the governor was referring to when he sang: “If you want to follow Tinubu, no follow corner corner.”
He said he remained the most abused minister in the country because of his support for President Tinubu.
“Nigerians know that in 2023, I supported the President. I didn’t hide it. If I am doing ‘corner corner’, Assembly members will not go; National Assembly members will not go. That is leadership. I support President Tinubu. With what the President is doing in Abuja, there is no way the PDP will win the FCT in the next election,” he said.
Minister fires warning shot at opportunistic politicians
Wike cautioned Rivers State politicians, declaring that last-minute loyalty switches and trendy political slogans would not secure power or party tickets ahead of the 2027 elections.
Addressing party supporters, the former Rivers State governor stressed that true political power is built on credibility, consistency and grassroots trust, not opportunism or convenience.
According to him: “Power is not given freely. Politics is not a gift. Mandates are earned, defended and protected. Nobody dashes power.”
Wike clarified that his tour was purely to express gratitude to supporters, not to kick-start a campaign.
“I did not come here to play politics. I came here for one clear reason: to say thank you,” he said.
He added that closing the year without personally appreciating the people would have been ungrateful.
Reflecting on the 2023 elections, Wike defended his stance, saying it was rooted in equity, fairness and justice.
He reminded supporters that while President Tinubu won the presidency with strong backing from Rivers State, the PDP dominated state-level races, demonstrating his camp’s mobilisation strength.
As active politics resumes in January, Wike urged supporters to remain vigilant and await further directives.
“From January, politics begins. Be prepared. This is not a threat; it is a strategic reality.”
Reaffirming his alignment with President Tinubu, he said: “Whatever the President says, know that is exactly where I stand. There is alignment. There is no ambiguity.”
Wike emphasised the need to uphold integrity and warned against breaking agreements or abandoning principles for money.
“Hard times expose character. You know who stands firm and who only shows up when food is ready,” he said.
He reiterated his personal responsibility for his political choices while thanking Omuma residents for their continued loyalty.
The minister stressed: “If you choose one direction or another, that is your decision. But understand this clearly: power is not for dash.”
Reacting, the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the PDP said Wike was beginning to show signs of fear of losing President Tinubu’s attention and his grip on Rivers State politics.
In a statement, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, said the minister was also becoming frustrated with what he described as the unbending posture of the party’s national leadership.
The party was reacting to Wike’s media chat and his assertion that President Tinubu would be re-elected in 2027, while also describing the minister as troublesome.
