The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has denied claims that he promised President Bola Tinubu that he would “hold down” the People’s Democratic Party ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The denial comes amid tensions within the PDP, which escalated last week when Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, accused Wike of promising President Tinubu that he would hold the opposition party down for him.
Speaking during an end-of-the-year media chat today, Wike described Governor Makinde’s allegation as a blatant lie and suggested that the Oyo State governor was “frustrated” and lacked the courage to openly declare his own presidential ambitions.
“Governor Seyi Makinde has never called me Wike. That is the first time I have heard him calling me Wike. It’s unfortunate.
“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.”
The former Rivers State governor queried why, if the allegation were true, Governor Makinde did not raise the issue earlier after the alleged meeting with the president.
“Why did Governor Seyi Makinde not come up all this while to tell the party, see what Wike is doing? I was in a meeting. I saw what Wike said. It’s not correct,” he said.
Setting the record straight, Wike said: “There was no such meeting. Rather, my humble self, 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 Governor Seyi Makinde, went to see the president.
“We went to see the president after elections were over, to discuss certain things. While we were there, the Chief of Staff — you should know that the Chief of Staff is always around the president.
“I was the one who said, look, Chief of Staff, come and sit down, so we can remind the president of what we have discussed. There was nothing like a meeting we booked to go and see Mr. President. So, it is completely out of place for anybody to say that in that meeting I told Mr. President that I would hold PDP down for him.”
Describing the claim as “very, totally unfair,” Wike said the Oyo State governor was frustrated.
“I have told everybody, frustration — if you can see it, if you watch Governor Seyi Makinde, you can see frustration. And this young man, we have advised severely.
“Politics is not like being a contractor with Shell. Politics is not like being a contractor. It has different rules.
“When did Seyi Makinde come into politics? There is nothing wrong with having ambition, but the ambition must be pursued according to the rules.”
The controversy stems from Governor Makinde’s revelations during a media chat last week, where he detailed a private 2023 meeting involving himself, Wike and Tinubu.
According to Governor Makinde, Wike voluntarily pledged to undermine the PDP to aid President Tinubu’s re-election bid, without any prompting from the president.
“Wike said he was going to hold the PDP down for President Tinubu,” Governor Makinde claimed during a public address, explaining the root of their fallout.
He further expressed regret over supporting President Tinubu in the 2023 elections and vowed not to back him in 2027, citing concerns over Nigeria’s democratic survival.
Punch/Ibrahim Abiodun
