The battle for the soul of the Peoples Democratic Party has reportedly pitted the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, against the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike.
The two political gladiators used to be good friends and played a key role in the victory of President Bola Tinubu in 2023, following their resolve to work against the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
The duo, alongside Okezie Ikpeazu, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Samuel Ortom — then governors of Abia, Enugu and Benue states respectively- formed the G-5 bloc and insisted on a southern presidential ticket; but Atiku, who comes from the North, claimed the PDP ticket at the national convention.
Things have since fallen apart, with the Oyo State Governor, backed by his Bauchi counterpart, Bala Mohammed, and the Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, no longer enjoying a cordial political relationship with Wike.
On his part, Wike is enjoying the support of Governors Caleb Muftwang (Plateau) and Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa).
The rift between Makinde and Wike reached its peak when, at a meeting in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the PDP governors rejected the planned reinstatement of Senator Samuel Anyanwu by the Bukola Saraki-led reconciliation Committee; a move seen by Wike as a betrayal by the Oyo State Governor.
Makinde is working in sync with the party’s national leadership, which has fixed June 30 for the PDP’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting and August 2025 for its convention. On Monday, Wike rallied members of the defunct G-5, bar Makinde, to lay down his terms for peace to reign.
The PUNCH gathered that the Wike-backed group is pushing for a postponement of the convention, apparently to get a stronger hold of the party ahead of the 2027 election. Despite this move, the plan by the PDP to hold its convention in August 2025 will not be affected by Wike’s move, party chieftains told The PUNCH on Tuesday.
This is just as they ruled out the postponement of the event on account of the press conference convened by Wike in Abuja. On Monday, Wike and members of the G-5 – Ortom, Ikpeazu and Ugwuanyi – converged on Abuja to deliberate on the state of affairs of the PDP, giving conditions for peace and progress of the party.
In a communique issued at the end of the meeting, the Wike-led group made it clear that the decision of the PDP governors to back Sunday Ude-Okoye as the party’s National Secretary against Senator Samuel Anyanwu is a recipe for chaos and upheaval in the party. The leading opposition party has been enmeshed in a series of crises primarily driven by a power struggle between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike.
