Wike Withdraws from PDP Reconciliation, Blames Makinde for Party Turmoil

The Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, has officially withdrawn from all reconciliation agreements within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), citing betrayal, dishonesty, and repeated breaches of mutual agreements by key party leaders.

In a statement released on Sunday, Wike traced the party’s internal crisis to the aftermath of the 2023 general elections, describing a persistent decline marked by “dishonesty and lack of trust amongst its key stakeholders.”

Wike lamented, “Since after the 2023 General Election, the PDP has been wantonly swinging from one part of a slippery precipice to another,” despite several attempts to “arrest this pernicious virus of dishonesty and treachery.” He singled out Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State as the “architect of our problems,” accusing him of sabotaging reconciliation efforts and being the chief culprit in the party’s woes.

During a G5 governors’ meeting in Lagos, Wike confronted Makinde, stating, “I made it clear to the Governor of Oyo State, HE, Seyi Makinde, that he was the architect of our problems, pointing out to him that non-adherence to agreements reached was the bane of the party.” This was followed by a broader meeting in Abuja at Senator Bukola Saraki’s guest house, which included other prominent PDP figures such as Governors Bala Mohammed and Umaru Fintiri.

The Abuja meeting produced key resolutions: recognition of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary following a Supreme Court ruling, withdrawal of all court cases related to Rivers State by the party’s National Legal Adviser, and cessation of cases concerning a state of emergency in Rivers. However, Wike revealed these agreements were flagrantly violated even before the Saraki-led reconciliation committee commenced work.

He alleged that Makinde conspired with Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah to summon a meeting of South-East leaders who threatened to withdraw from the PDP if Ude Okoye was not appointed National Secretary. Wike also accused party officials of attempting to marginalize Anyanwu by promoting the Deputy National Secretary as acting National Secretary and using his letter to call a National Executive Committee meeting, actions he described as “in complete violation of the agreements reached.”

Wike recounted a recent incident on May 24, 2025, in Jos, where a PDP zonal elective congress was aborted because INEC refused to attend, citing the letter of invitation was signed by the Deputy National Secretary rather than the recognized National Secretary. He described this as “undeniably distasteful, provocative and annoying.”

Reflecting on his long-standing commitment to the PDP since 1998, Wike expressed deep disappointment that those he helped elevate politically had turned against him. “It is on record that none of these persons have done anything close to what I have done to sustain this party,” he said. “What is more painful is that I contributed substantially to most of these governors winning their elections, yet I have not made any personal demands on any of them and I would never do so.”

Concluding, Wike declared a firm break from reconciliation efforts: “I have now firmly decided to pull out of all agreements hitherto reached. I have decided to fight on until justice is attained.” The PDP and the accused leaders have yet to respond to Wike’s statement as of this report.