The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has denied claims that he promised President Bola Tinubu that he would “hold down” the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2027 presidential election, describing the allegation as false, unfair and politically motivated.
Wike’s denial comes amid deepening tensions within the PDP, which escalated last week after Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, accused the former Rivers State governor of assuring President Tinubu that he would weaken the opposition party to aid the President’s re-election bid.
Speaking during his end-of-the-year media chat on Monday, Wike dismissed Makinde’s claim as a blatant lie, insisting that no such promise was ever made. He questioned both the logic and timing of the accusation, arguing that it was inconsistent with events surrounding the alleged meeting.
“Seyi Makinde has never called me Wike. That is the first time I have heard him calling me Wike. It’s unfortunate,” Wike said. “First of all, you ask yourself, what was that meeting? What was the purpose of that meeting? That would have led me to say, Mr President, I will hold PDP down for you.”
Wike further queried why Makinde did not raise the allegation earlier if it were true, particularly within party structures after the supposed meeting with the President.
“Why did Seyi Makinde not come up all this while to tell the party, ‘see what Wike is doing, I was in a meeting and I heard what he said’?” he asked.
Clarifying the circumstances surrounding the visit to the President, Wike explained that the meeting in question took place after the 2023 elections and was attended by several PDP governors and former governors. According to him, the visit was not pre-arranged to seek political favours, nor was it centred on undermining the opposition party.
“There was no such meeting,” Wike said. “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 after elections were over to discuss certain things.”
He added that the President’s Chief of Staff was present during the discussion and that nothing remotely resembling a pledge to sabotage the PDP was discussed.
“I was the one who asked the Chief of Staff to sit down so we could remind the President of what we discussed. There was nothing like a meeting where I told Mr President that I would hold the PDP down for him,” Wike stated.
Describing Makinde’s accusation as “very, totally unfair,” Wike suggested that the Oyo State governor was acting out of frustration and hinted that his actions may be linked to unspoken presidential ambitions.
“There is nothing wrong with having ambition, but ambition must be pursued according to the rules,” he said, adding that politics requires patience, experience and adherence to established norms.
The controversy stems from Makinde’s media chat last week, where he claimed that Wike voluntarily pledged to undermine the PDP during a private 2023 meeting with Tinubu. Makinde also expressed regret over supporting Tinubu in the last election and vowed not to back him in 2027, citing concerns about Nigeria’s democratic future.
The dispute has further exposed internal fractures within the PDP, raising questions about unity, trust and leadership direction as the party looks ahead to future elections.
