The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has firmly rejected suggestions that he could face suspension from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), asserting his indispensable role in the party’s development.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Monday, the former Rivers State governor dismissed critics who have questioned his commitment to the PDP following his collaboration with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.
“I am still in the PDP,” Wike said. “I have not seen anybody who would have the guts to tell me, ‘You are not a member of the PDP.’ Who is that? What has he contributed to the party more than I have?”
Wike’s comments come amid controversy surrounding his decision to revoke land titles for approximately 5,000 properties in Abuja due to alleged defaults in ground rent payments. Among the affected properties is the PDP’s national secretariat at Wadata Plaza.
During his media engagement, the FCT minister specifically referenced party elder Bode George in connection with one of the revoked properties.
“Bode George is number 3092. That land was published—non-payment for up to ten years,” Wike said. “At that level, a single citizen. At that level.”
The minister criticized certain party leaders for their lack of electoral success, particularly in Lagos State, since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999.
“Look at Lagos since 1999—not one House of Assembly seat, not one House of Reps seat, not one Senate seat. And you say the PDP made you? No, you make the party popular by what you do.”
Wike, who served two terms as Governor of Rivers State, emphasized his primary allegiance to President Bola Tinubu’s administration, describing his role as a non-partisan contribution to national governance.
“The only person I put at the top is Mr. President. I’m doing what I’m doing to support the government and make a difference.”
He also expressed satisfaction in challenging established political figures and their perceived sense of privilege.
“I take joy when I step on the toes of big men… Those who say nothing will happen, I say something will happen. And it will,” Wike said.
The minister went on to criticize what he views as a culture of entitlement within Nigeria’s political establishment.
“Simply because we worship in the same church or mosque, you expect to get away with anything? No. That’s the attitude that has killed this country.”
Concluding his remarks, Wike reiterated his commitment to the PDP despite ongoing controversy.
“I’ve worked hard for this party,” he said. “And nobody—nobody—can tell me I don’t belong here.”
The dispute stems from Bode George’s earlier criticism of Wike’s handling of the secretariat closure over unpaid ground rent amounting to ₦7 million.
“We were told we had not paid ₦7 million, and so, we defaulted on the ground rent. The painful part of it is that the minister is also a member of our party. They waited until the day we were to hold our NEC meeting to shut down the place,” George said.
Appealing to cultural values, George suggested that Wike should have approached the issue differently, given his long-standing association with the party.
“Speaking as an African, culturally, let us look at it as his father’s house—where he grew up, where he went to school, and became a public figure. What do you do to pay back that family?”
He also proposed an alternative solution to the payment issue.
“What is ₦7 million? He should have just said to them, ‘Okay, ₦7 million—I’ll pay from my pocket. Take the receipt back to the party secretariat. You see, you people are foolish.”
George emphasized Wike’s political origins within the PDP.
“I call him (Wike) my political son. On his first political outing, he was elected on the platform of this party as a local government chairman. Later, he became Chief of Staff to an elected governor of this party. Then, former President Goodluck Jonathan appointed him Minister of State for Education under our party. He later became governor for eight years on the platform of this party,” he stated.
The relationship between the two politicians was once cordial, especially during the pre-2023 election period when George supported Wike’s stance on power rotation to the South, backing him over eventual PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar.
