A senior figure in the Peoples Democratic Party has openly called for the exit of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, from the party, blaming him for the lingering crisis rocking the opposition.
Former Presidential Media Adviser, Umar Sani, said the PDP’s internal troubles are no longer about personal disagreements.
He said the core issue is Wike’s continued interference and actions, which many party leaders believe are damaging the PDP from within.
Sani spoke while reacting to the ongoing tension between Wike and several PDP governors. He said party leaders now see Wike as a destabilising force rather than a unifying figure.
According to him, the belief within the PDP is that there is “a mole within the party entrenched to destabilise the party.”
He insisted that the frequent conflicts surrounding Wike have exhausted party members. He said the PDP cannot keep moving from one internal battle to another while preparing for a major election cycle.
“You can’t take people all the time you are in crisis. You are fighting this, you are fighting that,” he said. “The reason why all these things are happening, they don’t have any problem with him, neither does he have any problem with them. But it is the problem of the PDP.”
Sani explained that the situation worsened after Wike failed to secure influence in the party’s current National Working Committee.
He said this marked a turning point in the relationship between Wike and the PDP leadership.
“This is the first time that the party will make a National Working Committee without him having any single member,” Sani said. He added that Wike expected to be accommodated but was resisted by party leaders.
According to Sani, the PDP leadership rejected Wike’s demands because of his open alignment with the ruling All Progressives Congress.
“You cannot eat your cake and have it. You cannot be working for APC and then want to be imposing people on us in the PDP,” he said.
Sani also dismissed Wike’s legal challenges against the party. He described the court cases as an attempt to undermine the PDP’s internal processes.
“All those things he is saying, the issues he took to court and so forth, they are just tissues of lies,” he said.
He maintained that the PDP followed due process before holding its convention. He said the party met constitutional requirements by conducting congresses in enough states.
“If you are going to a convention, what is required is two-thirds of the states, and we have two-thirds of the states going to that convention,” he said. He also rejected claims that the exercise was invalid.
“So for him to be trying to delegitimise the convention by saying we had 16 states without congresses is false,” Sani added.
On allegations by Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, that Wike vowed to weaken the PDP ahead of the 2027 elections, Sani said he believed the governor’s account.
“I don’t believe that Governor Makinde will just flagrantly come out to lie against Wike,” he said. “He is not known to be a liar.”
Sani went further to accuse Wike of dishonesty, saying several of his public denials lacked credibility.
“I can itemise so many lies that Wike has said, and even his denial is a lie. I am confident that Wike said so,” he added.
He also reacted to claims by Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, who accused Wike of using his position in Abuja to intimidate political opponents through state institutions.
“Bala Mohammed responded clearly,” Sani said. “He said Wike sells land and then bribes institutions. That is what he said.”
Despite the turmoil, Sani insisted that the PDP remains strong and capable of recovering before the 2027 general elections. He said the party’s current legal challenges are temporary.
“Once the PDP is able to surmount this in good time and the judgment comes, the traffic will shift,” he said. “All routes will now lead to the PDP.”
Speaking directly on Wike’s future in the party, Sani said many leaders no longer want him around.
“As far as we are concerned, we want him to leave,” he said. “Let him leave the party and go to APC. Let him see how we are going to survive.”
He warned that the PDP cannot continue to accommodate what he described as destructive behaviour.
“We cannot harbour somebody who is very destructive,” Sani said.
However, he noted that reconciliation was still possible if Wike showed remorse.
“If he realises what he has done is wrong and comes back and says, ‘Please accept me,’ of course we will accept him back,” he said. “The issue of the prodigal son.”
