The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has denied claims that he pledged to President Bola Tinubu to “hold down” the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Wike’s denial was made on Monday at an end-of-year media briefing following comments by Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, who last week alleged that Wike voluntarily offered to suppress the opposition party to facilitate Tinubu’s re-election.
The relationship between the two chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been frosty since the 2023 presidential election.
In the buildup to the poll, Makinde and Wike were part of the G5 governors of the PDP who refused to back Atiku Abubakar’s presidential bid.
The Oyo governor, who narrated the political disagreement between himself and Wike, spoke to journalists last Tuesday during a media chat at the government house in Ibadan.
“I was in a meeting with the president and Wike and a few others, and Wike said to the president that I will hold PDP for you against 2027; I was in shock,” Makinde had said.
“So, we got up, and I asked Wike, did we agree to this?”
The Oyo governor added that he will not support Tinubu’s re-election bid because of concerns over the survival of democracy in the country.
But responding on Monday in Rivers state, Wike said Makinde’s allegations were unfair.
“That’s a blatant lie,” Wike said.
“That is why… you see, Seyi Makinde has never called me Wike again. That is the first time he called me Wike.”
Wike questioned the basis of Makinde’s claim and asked why the Oyo governor failed to brief the PDP leadership on the alleged discussion.
“First of all, let us ask: what was the purpose of that meeting? Why did Makinde not come out to tell the party that this is what Wike said?” he asked.
“There was no such meeting. What was the purpose of that meeting that would have led me to say, ‘Mr. President, I will hold PDP for you’?
“Why did Makinde not come up all this while to tell the party, ‘see what Wike is doing’? I was in a meeting and see what Wike said. It’s not correct.
“And let me put the record straight: there was no such meeting. Rather, my humble self, the former governor of Abia state, Okezie Ikpeazu; the former governor of Benue state, Samuel Ortom; Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; and Makinde went to see the president.
“That is so unfair to say that I said that (I will hold PDP down for you). If you look at that media chat, you will see that Makinde was frustrated.”
He also criticised Makinde’s political approach, suggesting the Oyo governor lacked understanding of party politics.
“We have advised him several times. Politics is not like being a contractor with Shell. It has different rules,” Wike said.
WIKE further said the misunderstanding began when Makinde failed to secure a ministerial position for his nominee.
“What we are dealing with today is that he was not given any ministerial slot,” Wike said.
“Even when he was saying it, we could see the anger. He didn’t need to tell anybody; we could see it. We told him, ‘Calm down.’”
The former Rivers governor said efforts were made to pacify Makinde and explain the circumstances surrounding the appointments, including visits to Tinubu.
“We went back home and explained why we went to see the president. We told him, just take it easy. There are certain factors you may not have considered. However, something has to be done,” Wike stated.
He added that despite these efforts, Makinde appeared to have “already made up his mind”, making reconciliation difficult.
“I remember when the Rivers state government held a reception for me. The former governor of Benue, Samuel Ortom, spoke and said they were going to support the president for a second term,” Wike said.
“But Seyi Makinde, the next day, replied, questioning why he would say such a thing. I called him and said even if Ortom said so, he didn’t need to go that far. All he could have said was, ‘let’s call it a day; it’s too early for you to make that kind of statement.’”
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