By Ikeugonna Eleke
The former Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State, Chief (Dr.) Ndubuisi Nwobu, has described the reluctance of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Nyesom Wike, to leave the party, as cowardly.
Nwobu in an interview with journalists in Awka on May 1, said it did not make any sense for Wike to say that he remained a member of PDP, while supporting the Administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He said Wike lacked the courage to formalize his defection by officially joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), despite his open support for Tinubu’s Government.
‘If Wike were man enough, he would go and obtain an APC membership card. I am convinced he is a coward for insisting he is still a PDP member while backing President Tinubu. What kind of contradiction is that? You can’t claim loyalty to one party while promoting the interest of another. That is not how political integrity works,’ Nwobu said.
He further noted that during Wike’s tenure as governor, he wielded outsized influence over the PDP, behaving like an alter ego of the party and determining who emerged in key positions.
‘Back then, Wike did everything as if he was helping the party, but it’s now clear he had ulterior motives. He planted loyalists across the party structure, particularly in the National Working Committee (NWC). He acted as though he was defending the party’s interests, but he was laying the groundwork for his personal political ambition,’ Nwobu stated.
He added that Wike’s lingering influence had made it difficult for the party to take disciplinary action against him, as many of his loyalists still held strategic positions and acted as a shield.
‘While he was pretending to work for the party, he was actually entrenching himself. Most of the former NWC members owed their positions to him – from the National Chairman to the Secretary. Even now, he still sustains their loyalty through financial inducement, which is why it’s been difficult to confront the matter head-on,’ Nwobu said.
He noted, however, that efforts to reclaim the party from Wike’s grip had begun.
‘We’ve already dealt with the National Secretary, and he’s out. Others will follow. The National Secretary position is critical in any party, and removing his loyalists from such strategic offices will help restore integrity to the PDP,’ he said.
