In the intricate and often volatile arena of Nigerian politics, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) once stood as an unassailable giant, shaping the nation’s democratic landscape with formidable influence. Today, this political behemoth finds itself embroiled in a debilitating internal crisis that threatens not only its unity but its very existence.
At the epicentre of this turmoil are two powerful figures—Seyi Makinde, Governor of Oyo State, and Nyesom Wike, former Governor of Rivers State and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Their acrimonious rivalry transcends personal animosity; it epitomizes the deep-seated fractures within the PDP—fractures born of mistrust, clashing ambitions, and competing visions for the party’s future.
Wike’s position within the federal government under President Bola Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress (APC) profoundly complicates the PDP’s internal dynamics. To many within the party, Wike’s role is tantamount to that of a double agent. His directive for some lawmakers in Rivers State to defect to the APC, his withdrawal from reconciliation efforts, and his public denunciations of Makinde—whom he accused of orchestrating the party’s troubles—have all escalated tensions to the brink of collapse.
Makinde, on the other hand, commands significant influence through his financial patronage of the PDP’s National Secretariat and his determined push to control critical party decisions, including the contentious appointment of the National Secretary. His faction of thr Party accuses Wike of deliberately undermining the party from within, alleging that his alignment with the APC is a calculated ploy to weaken the opposition ahead of the pivotal 2027 elections.
This internecine conflict is emblematic of a profound leadership vacuum within the PDP. The party’s inability to agree on the scheduling of National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings, the controversy surrounding the reinstatement of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary, and the dramatic sealing of the party’s national secretariat—actions widely attributed to Wike’s influence—paint a portrait of a political party in disarray. Such dysfunction not only erodes the PDP’s capacity to present a united front but also severely undermines its credibility as a viable opposition force.
Like a masquerade behind his regalia, President Bola Tinubu’s indirect yet unmistakable role in this crisis cannot be overstated. As leader of the APC, his administration appears to be exploiting the internal divisions within the PDP to consolidate its political dominance.
Wike’s ministerial appointment within Tinubu’s government and the subsequent actions—such as the sealing of the PDP secretariat—suggest tacit approval or even orchestration by the ruling party. This strategic manipulation weakens the opposition, effectively turning the PDP’s internal strife into a tool for the APC’s political advantage, thereby diminishing the prospects of a robust democratic contest in Nigeria.
Amid this turmoil, the conspicuous silence of other influential PDP figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, only deepens the crisis. Their absence from meaningful mediation efforts signals either disengagement or helplessness in the face of escalating factional warfare. As Makinde and Wike engage in this high-stakes game of political brinkmanship, the PDP’s future hangs precariously in the balance. The party risks descending into irrelevance, its internal discord handing an unchallenged advantage to the APC.
However, the pressing question remains: who will blink first? Will Makinde’s financial clout and control over party machinery prevail, or will Wike’s federal influence and defiant stance force a reckoning? More importantly, can the PDP transcend these personal rivalries to restore collective leadership and reclaim its position as a credible opposition? Or will it continue its inexorable slide into fragmentation, effectively ceding political space to Tinubu’s APC? Only time will tell.