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2027: “If You Want to Bury PDP, Bring Back Obi” – Wike Fires Warning Shot

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has issued a fiery warning to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), declaring that the party risks political suicide if it attempts to welcome former Labour Party flagbearer, Peter Obi, back into its ranks.

Speaking during a no-holds-barred media chat on Monday, Wike accused the PDP of repeatedly sabotaging itself through arrogance, injustice, and poor strategic choices—mistakes he said cost the party dearly in the 2023 presidential elections.

“From day one, I told my colleagues: PDP, you are shooting yourself. If you allow this to continue, you’ll pay for it. And what happened? You had the presidential candidate from the North and the national chairman from the North. Total imbalance. It was unjust, it was wrong, and we all saw the result,” Wike declared.

The former Rivers State governor blasted the party’s leadership for “stealing” both the presidential ticket and the chairmanship, ignoring calls for fairness.

“I told them then—it will purge you. And indeed, it purged them. I have no regret for saying the truth,” he added with characteristic bluntness.

Wike on Obi’s Possible Return

Turning to rumours of Peter Obi’s possible return to the PDP ahead of 2027, Wike dismissed the idea as both hypocritical and disastrous.

“To what? Bringing Obi to where? You want to kill the party? Obi that was abusing PDP, saying it is rotten—suddenly the party is now good enough for him? Ambition can make people even go to Satan’s house,” Wike said, with a smirk.

He warned that dragging Obi back would not only erode the PDP’s credibility but also strip it of any remaining ideological foundation.

“If you want to destroy this party, dare it—bring Obi. There’s no way he will come back just because of ambition. That will mean no ideology, no principle. And PDP cannot survive on such a foundation,” he warned.

The Equity Question

Wike, a key member of the G5 Governors who rebelled against the PDP leadership in 2023, insisted that zoning and equity remain the only path to restoring balance within the party.

“The presidency must return to the South. It is about fairness and justice. PDP cannot win Nigeria by ignoring the very principles on which it was founded,” he maintained.

The Bigger Picture

Wike’s latest outburst comes as the PDP battles an identity crisis ahead of 2027. With zoning now officially shifted to the South and power blocs positioning behind heavyweights like Goodluck Jonathan, Seyi Makinde, and Peter Obi, the party faces a defining moment: stick to internal justice, or gamble with political expediency.

For Wike, the choice is clear. Anything short of equity, he believes, would send Nigeria’s oldest opposition party into political oblivion.

By Haruna Yakubu Haruna