PDP Chieftain Reacts As Suspension Looms for Wike, Other G5 Members: “It’s Banana Peel”
- A PDP chieftain has sent a message to the leadership of the party over the planned move to expel Nyesom Wike and other members of the G5 group
- Wike and his colleagues, including Seyi Makinde and three other former governors, allegedly worked against the party and Atiku in 2023
- Wike and the G5 have insisted that they are still loyal chieftains of the PDP, hence downplaying their expulsion from the party
- Speaking exclusively with Legit.ng, Dare Glintstone Akinniyi, spokesperson of the PDP National Youth Group, said now was not the right time to expel Wike and his loyalists
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Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.
Dare Glintstone Akinniyi, the spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Youth Group, has downplayed the purported move to expel Nyesom Wike, former governor of Rivers state, from Nigeria's main opposition party.
On whether the PDP should expel Wike and other members of the G5 ahead of the 2027 general election, Akinniyi described the move as "a banana peel".
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In an interview with Legit.ng via telephone chat on Sunday, May 12, Akinniyi said expelling Wike now the party is divided is wrong timing", adding that "we can't overlook the influence of Wike and his loyalists".
However, he tasked the PDP reconciliation committee with doing what's best for the party ahead of the 2027 election.
Mr Akinniyi opined thus:
"At the moment, expelling anyone is a 'banana peel'. If the expulsion had happened before the 2023 Elections, it will probably make some senses and understandable. As it stands now, the PDP is divided and we can't overlook the influence of Wike and his loyalists. The reconciliation committee should bring everyone to the table again, and there should be sanctions for any actions that are against the tenets cum interest of the PDP, as a party henceforth."
How Wike, G5 worked against Atiku, backed Tinubu
Recall that the PDP situation became complicated when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu nominated Wike, whom Atiku Abubakar defeated in the party’s presidential primary last year, for a ministerial position in the APC government.
Wike’s acceptance of the nomination was seen by the Atiku group as “the final straw.” This followed earlier moves to expel the former governor over “anti-party activities” for openly supporting Tinubu in the presidential election.
In the run-up to the 2023 presidential election, Wike had insisted the party maintain its internal power-sharing formula by zoning the presidential ticket to southern Nigeria.
Wike, alongside his G5 faction, which included then-Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu state), Samuel Ortom (Benue), and two others, called for the removal of the suspended national chairman of the PDP, Iyorchia Ayu.
While Wike backed out from supporting Atiku Abubakar – from northern Nigeria – who won the PDP primary election, the former governor worked for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), leading to the emergence of President Tinubu.
Tinubu later appointed him as a minister, a move that triggered debates on whether Wike was still a member of the PDP or not.
Despite the calls for his expulsion, the FCT minister has insisted he is still a member of the PDP, doubling down on his support for Tinubu – the APC flagbearer for the 2023 presidential election.
Why Wike isn't PDP's problem - Showunmi
Meanwhile, the former Ogun state governorship candidate of the PDP, Segun Showunmi, reacted to the brawl between the party and Wike.
Dr Showunmi, who is vying for the chairmanship seat of the PDP, told Legit.ng that Wike's dilemma was another opportunity for the party to design a new model to solve imminent crises like that of the FCT minister.
"The man is on sabbatical working in APC, and we just let him continue in that direction. People who don’t accept that the political party is beyond one individual are the problem; it’s not Wike," he stated.
Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.
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Source: Legit.ng
