A former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State, Chief (Dr.) Ndubuisi Nwobu, has described the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Nyesom Wike, as a coward for claiming to remain a member of the PDP while openly supporting the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Nwobu made this assertion during an interview with Legit.ng correspondent in Awka, the Anambra State capital.
Wike is a coward – PDP chieftain launches attack
According to him, Wike, who served as governor of Rivers State for eight years, lacked the courage to formalize his defection by officially joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), despite his open support for Tinubu government.
“If Wike were man enough, he would go and obtain APC membership card. I am convinced he is a coward for insisting he is still a PDP member, while backing President Tinubu. What kind of contradiction is that? You can’t claim loyalty to one party while promoting the interest of another. That is not how political integrity works,” Nwobu said.
He further noted that during Wike’s tenure as governor, he wielded influence over the PDP, behaving like an alter ego of the party and determining who emerged in key positions.
“Back then, Wike did everything as if he were helping the party, but it’s now clear he had ulterior motives. He planted loyalists across the party structure, particularly in the National Working Committee (NWC). He acted as though he were defending the party’s interests, but he was laying the groundwork for his personal political ambition,” Nwobu stated.
Wike still holds sway in Rivers PDP
He added that Wike’s lingering influence has made it difficult for the party to take disciplinary action against him, as many of his loyalists still hold strategic positions, and act as a shield.
“While he was pretending to work for the party, he was actually entrenching himself. Most of the former NWC members owed their positions to him – from the national chairman to the secretary. Even now, he still sustains their loyalty through financial inducement, which is why it’s been difficult to confront the matter head-on,” Nwobu said.
He noted, however, that efforts to reclaim the party from Wike’s grip have begun.
“We’ve already dealt with the national secretary, and he’s out. Others will follow. The national secretary position is critical in any party, and removing his loyalists from such strategic offices will help restore integrity to the PDP,” he added.
Nwobu revealed that the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting is scheduled for May, during which decisions taken by the NWC will be ratified. This will be followed by a national convention, where a new leadership is expected to emerge.
“With the emergence of a new leadership, the political coloration that has held the party hostage will be eliminated. Wike’s undue influence will finally be rooted out,” he added.
PDP vows legal battle as massive defection guts party open
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the former Foreign Affairs Minister and prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Alhaji Sule Lamido, had expressed deep concern over the wave of defections from the party, warning that continued efforts to destabilise the PDP could imperil Nigeria’s democratic future.
Speaking during an interview with BBC Hausa, Lamido criticised what he described as a systematic attempt to marginalise opposition voices, particularly the PDP, warning that such developments are ominous for Nigeria’s political stability.
