Wike berates PDP defectors at faction convention
FCT Minister Nyesom Wike berated PDP defectors at a recent faction convention, calling their exits a failure of leadership and vowing the party would reclaim lost mandates. Speaking to delegates at the 2026 PDP convention led by Abdulrahman Mohammed, Wike listed ten governors who moved to APC—Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Agbu Kefas (Taraba), Caleb Mufutwang (Plateau), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers), Umaru Fintiri (Adamawa)—and one, Ademola Adeleke (Osun), who joined Accord Party. Only Bauchi’s Bala Mohammed and Oyo’s Seyi Makinde remain in the PDP.
Wike, who serves in President Bola Tinubu’s APC federal administration, compared defectors to former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, arguing true leaders don’t abandon their party during crises. He urged PDP members to “return our mandate” and warned of “operation show your report card” against those who took the party’s positions. The minister described the PDP as overcoming a “tragic crisis of leadership” and called for unity, crediting grassroots members as the party’s backbone.
His speech signals a renewed PDP push to reorganise after mass defections, with language suggesting future political contests over state-level mandates. The paradox of an APC minister leading PDP faction activities highlights fluid alliances ahead of 2027. What does Wike’s cross-party leadership manoeuvre mean for Nigeria’s opposition cohesion? Could ‘mandate reclamation’ rhetoric trigger defections back to PDP or further fragmentation?