The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday hosted several leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at his official residence in Abuja for a closed-door meeting on the future of the party.

According to Wike, the meeting was convened to deliberate on the state of the PDP and explore strategies for repositioning the party ahead of upcoming political contests.

Among those present were the PDP National Secretary, Sam Anyanwu; former Governors Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State and Samuel Ortom of Benue State; the Minority Leader of the 10th Rivers State House of Assembly, Kingsley Chinda; the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, and other lawmakers from the state.

The parley comes shortly after Wike stirred controversy with remarks cautioning the PDP against bringing back former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, into its fold. Speaking during a media chat on Monday, Wike warned that such a move could spell “self-destruction” for the party.

He recalled that the PDP’s failure in the 2023 elections was partly due to what he described as the party’s disregard for equity and fairness. Wike reiterated that his camp had consistently opposed a situation where both the party’s presidential candidate and its national chairman hailed from the North, insisting that the imbalance was politically “suicidal.”

“From day one, I told my colleagues, PDP, you are shooting yourself. If you allow what is going on to continue, you’ll pay. And what did I say? You cannot have the presidential candidate at the same time as the national chairman of the party,” the former Rivers governor said.

Wike accused the PDP of “stealing” both positions and ignoring calls for inclusivity, a move he argued cost the party dearly at the polls.

The Abuja meeting is seen by analysts as part of ongoing behind-the-scenes maneuvers within the PDP as it attempts to address internal divisions and chart a clear path forward ahead of 2027.