A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Sani, has launched a scathing attack on Nyesom Wike, accusing the former Rivers State Governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of being the principal architect of the party’s prolonged internal crisis.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Sunday, Sani, who served as the spokesman for the PDP Presidential Campaign Council in 2019, criticized Wike’s decision to withdraw from the peace efforts led by former Senate President Bukola Saraki. Sani described Wike’s move as a “coordinated attempt to frustrate the party’s legitimate leadership process and stall democratic progress,” particularly in the lead-up to the crucial National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for May 27.
Wike had earlier accused Governors Seyi Makinde (Oyo) and Bala Mohammed (Bauchi) of failing to honour a previous agreement concerning the party's internal dispute, prompting his exit from the reconciliation process. However, Sani countered that Wike's exit was less about failed agreements and more about his inability to dominate the party's affairs.
“Wike’s narrative that he has sacrificed so much for the PDP is both misleading and self-glorifying,” Sani said. “The truth is: the PDP made Wike.”
Sani detailed Wike’s political rise through the ranks of the PDP, from chairman of a local government to minister and then two-term governor, crediting the party for every step of his advancement.
He further alleged that Wike has consistently destabilized the party’s leadership, citing how he backed and later betrayed several party chairmen and prominent figures including Ali Modu Sheriff, Ahmed Makarfi, Uche Secondus, and Senator Iyorchia Ayu.
“Wike’s relationship with power is transactional — once you’re no longer useful, you’re expendable,” Sani said.
He also accused Wike of gross hypocrisy, pointing to his public support for zoning only when it aligned with his interests, and his eventual betrayal of the PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar during the 2023 election.
“Wike claims loyalty to the PDP, yet openly aligns with President Bola Tinubu of the APC and pledges support for his 2027 re-election. His politics is defined by contradiction and consumed by ego,” Sani charged.
Highlighting the recent sealing of the PDP’s national secretariat at Wadata Plaza — a move suspected to have links to Wike — Sani condemned the act as “a final act of desperation.”
He concluded with a call for Wike’s resignation from the PDP, asserting that his presence had become a major obstacle to unity and progress.
“If he has any conscience left, he must step back, allow peace to return, and let the PDP chart a new course free from blackmail and manipulation,” Sani stated. “The PDP must reclaim its breath. And to do so, Wike must let go and let the PDP breathe.”