Makinde vs. Wike: Deepening Rift Splits PDP as 2025 Convention Nears

Abuja, Nigeria – The internal crisis threatening the fabric of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has intensified, with a growing rift between Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike. Once political allies, the two men are now on opposing fronts in the struggle for control of the party’s soul ahead of the August 2025 national convention.

Makinde and Wike, alongside former governors Samuel Ortom, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, and Okezie Ikpeazu, were members of the influential G-5 group. In 2023, this bloc broke with the PDP’s official position and backed President Bola Tinubu’s candidacy, having opposed the nomination of Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential flagbearer.

However, the unity forged in political rebellion has since crumbled. Makinde, backed by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed and Enugu Governor Peter Mbah, is now closely aligned with the PDP national leadership. Wike, meanwhile, has positioned himself as a political maverick, wielding influence through loyal governors like Plateau’s Caleb Muftwang and Adamawa’s Ahmadu Fintiri.

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Flashpoint: The Battle Over Party Structure

The tipping point in the Makinde-Wike fallout came during a PDP governors’ meeting in Ibadan, where they rejected a proposal by the Bukola Saraki-led Reconciliation Committee to reinstate Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the party’s National Secretary. Wike perceived this rejection as a personal betrayal and a calculated move to weaken his influence within the party.

In response, Wike convened a meeting in Abuja with other G-5 members—excluding Makinde—where they issued a communique lambasting the party’s leadership. The group accused the National Working Committee (NWC) of undermining the constitution by replacing Anyanwu with Sunday Ude-Okoye and demanded that the PDP zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South.

They declared: “Only Senator Samuel Anyanwu has the constitutional authority to issue notices for party meetings. Any action taken without his input is null and void.”

Convention Tensions and Allegations of Sabotage

Despite pressure from the Wike bloc, the PDP insists that its 99th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting will proceed on June 30, and the national convention will hold in August 2025. The party’s leadership is defiant, vowing not to bow to threats or internal discord.

Prominent voices within the PDP have openly criticized Wike’s posturing. PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) member Chief Olabode George warned that no single individual could hijack the party. “We don’t have emperors in our party,” he said. “Let the NEC speak, and whatever the majority decides will stand.”

Former PDP National Secretary, Sen. Ibrahim Tsauri, went further, accusing Wike of undermining the party from within. He argued that Wike’s open support for Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027 makes him a political saboteur.

“Imagine someone still claiming to be in the PDP but pledging support for the ruling party in the next election. What could be worse?” Tsauri asked. “If the leadership of the PDP was serious, disciplinary action should have been taken already.”

Mixed Signals from the PDP Ranks

Opinions remain divided on Anyanwu’s reinstatement. While PDP Organising Secretary Capt. Umar Bature cited the Supreme Court judgment backing Anyanwu’s claim, South-West PDP Vice Chairman Kamoru Ajisafe disagreed. He insisted that the Acting National Secretary, appointed by the NWC, remains legitimate until the NEC rules otherwise.

Ajisafe added, “The NWC remains the highest working organ of the party. What Wike did in Abuja is not part of our party’s structure. The decision will be made during the NEC meeting on June 30.”

In the same vein, the PDP chapter in Bauchi State, through its Publicity Secretary Dayyabu Ciroma, affirmed that any decision about postponing the convention lies solely with the national leadership. “States have no say in national matters such as the tenure or legitimacy of the National Secretary,” Ciroma said.

Makinde’s Strategic Silence and Reconciliation Efforts

Interestingly, while Wike gathered his loyalists in Abuja, Governor Makinde met with PDP Reconciliation Committee Chairman Senator Bukola Saraki in Ibadan. This move is being interpreted as a sign of Makinde’s support for rebuilding the party within its institutional framework, rather than escalating internal feuds.

The Oyo State chapter of the PDP dismissed Wike’s Abuja meeting as “alien and strange” to the party’s structure. Publicity Secretary Michael Ogunsina described it as “a gathering of Wike’s followers and friends,” emphasizing that it held no official status.

Wike’s Ambitions and Atiku’s Shadow

Underlying the conflict is the broader power struggle between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Nyesom Wike. Both are believed to be positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 elections. While Atiku is expected to seek the PDP ticket once more, Wike’s strategy seems aimed at fragmenting the party, potentially paving the way for Tinubu’s second-term bid.

Wike’s influence over elements of the party’s leadership and his campaign to maintain Anyanwu as National Secretary are viewed by Atiku loyalists as part of a larger scheme to weaken the PDP’s unity and electoral viability.

As the PDP convention approaches, the party finds itself at a crossroads: either reassert its cohesion and democratic integrity or risk further fragmentation at the hands of its own prominent members.

The June 30 NEC meeting will be a defining moment. Whether it can resolve the internal turmoil or further expose the fractures within the PDP will shape the opposition party’s trajectory ahead of 2027.