2027 Wike Warns PDP Against Reabsorbing Obi

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has cautioned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against re-admitting former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, warning that such a move could spell the party’s downfall.

Speaking during a media chat on Monday, Wike said the PDP had failed to learn from the missteps that cost it dearly in the 2023 general elections.

He recalled that he and other party leaders had repeatedly warned against allowing both the presidential candidate and the national chairman to emerge from the North, describing the arrangement as unfair and politically damaging.

“From day one, I told my colleagues in the PDP, you are shooting yourselves in the foot. If you continue like this, you’ll pay for it. You cannot have both the presidential candidate and the national chairman from the same region,” Wike said.

The former Rivers State governor accused the party of “hijacking” both positions despite calls for fairness and balance, arguing that the decision contributed significantly to its electoral loss.

“It is better now you stole the presidential ticket, and again you took the national chairman. I said it would purge you, and it did. I have no regrets,” he declared.

Wike maintained that the presidency must return to the South in the interest of equity and political stability, adding that PDP’s arrogance and refusal to heed internal advice had weakened the party.

He dismissed speculations about Obi’s possible return to the PDP, describing the idea as dangerous and hypocritical.

“Bring Obi to where? You want to kill the party? Obi was the one calling PDP rotten, and now the party is suddenly good enough for him? Ambition can make people even go to Satan’s house,” Wike said.

According to him, such a decision would further undermine the party’s credibility and erode its ideological foundation.

“If you want to destroy this party, dare it bring Obi back. There’s no way he should return just because of ambition. That would mean no ideology, no principle,” he added.

Wike reiterated that equity, justice, and zoning remain the only viable path for the PDP to regain national relevance.