The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has cautioned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against readmitting former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, warning that such a move could jeopardize the party’s future ahead of the 2027 elections.
Speaking during a media chat on Monday, the former Rivers State governor accused the PDP of repeating the same strategic errors that cost it victory in 2023, particularly its failure to respect zoning arrangements and balance leadership positions.
Wike recalled objecting when both the party’s presidential candidate and national chairman emerged from the North, calling the decision unjust and politically reckless.
“From day one, I told my colleagues in the PDP, you are shooting yourself. If you allow this to continue, you’ll pay. What did I say? You cannot have the presidential candidate and the national chairman of the party coming from the same region,” he said.
The minister further alleged that the PDP “stole” both the presidential ticket and the chairmanship, a move he claimed “purged” the party and contributed to its electoral loss. He stressed that the presidency must return to the South in order to maintain fairness and political stability.
Addressing speculation about Obi’s possible return to the PDP, Wike described it as a dangerous move that would destroy the party’s credibility.
“To what? Bringing Obi to where? You want to kill the party? Obi was insulting the PDP, saying it was rotten—so now the party is good for him? Ambition can make people even go to Satan’s house,” Wike said.
He added that such a decision would strip the PDP of its ideology and principles, reducing it to a platform driven purely by personal ambition.
“If you want to destroy this party, dare it—bring Obi. There’s no way he’s coming back just because of ambition. No ideology, no principle,” he stated.
