Wike: Tinubu Not Trying to Turn Nigeria into One-party State

.Says PDP must rebuild grassroots, not chase presidential sower

Olawale Ajimotokan and Boluwatife Enome in Abuja

Wike stated this yesterday at his media chat monitored in Abuja Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has debunked as “misleading” the insinuations that President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were hatching a subterranean plan to transform Nigeria into a one-party state.

This was as he said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) survival depended on grassroots strength, not presidential ambition amid internal party crisis

He downplayed the claims that opposition parties were deliberately targeted by the Tinubu administration that is working towards a one-party state.

He made the clarification in light of the controversies that have trailed the recognition of Nafiu Bala Gombe as the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which has derecognised the faction led by former Senate President David Mark and former Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, as National Chairman and National Secretary of the ADC, respectively.

Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, said the allegation of harassment of the opposition by the ruling party lacked merit and paled in comparison to what he faced under the late Muhammadu Buhari administration.

“It’s not correct that the current ruling party is killing the opposition, and I take exceptions to that.

“Under Buhari, this is what they did to kill PDP. All these people shouting… it is only when it does not favour you,” he said.

 “If there was anybody tormented by a government, it was me, and I never ran away. I was personally haunted under Buhari.

“We fought Modu Sheriff. We won at the Federal High Court. That victory was one of the reasons the government sent the SSS to impound Justice Leman at the Federal High Court.

“But I never ran away. I hired lawyers, and the matter went to the Supreme Court. That’s how we threw out Modu Sheriff,” Wike said.

He accused the opposition parties of looking for loopholes to gain political advantage, saying “If you are an opposition party, you know the government or the ruling party will always look for a loophole. That is politics.”

Wike said the ongoing crisis within the PDP should not be reduced to a contest for presidential ambition, insisting that the party’s survival depends on rebuilding its grassroots structure.

The FCT Minister argued that winning the presidency without a strong sub-national base would leave the party ineffective.

He maintained that the PDP must first stabilise and re-establish itself at all levels before focusing on national power.

“Nobody does that. So the whole thing is not about the presidency. That’s what I have never liked,” Wike said.

“Even if you win the presidency, if you don’t have the sub-national structure, the party is not on ground.”

He added that the priority should be ensuring the PDP remains functional after emerging from its internal crisis.

“What is important to me is that the PDP is still on ground to make an impact after the crisis it has come through,” he said.