Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) remains a formidable political force in Nigeria and should not be viewed as a charity organisation.
Wike made the remark on Monday night in Abuja at the party’s 105th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.
He cautioned party members against complacency, urging them to return to the grassroots and rebuild the PDP from the ward and polling unit levels.
“Forget the idea that PDP is a charity organisation. PDP remains a formidable political force despite its current challenges.
“PDP is too strong, very strong. We must capitalise on what we have and move forward,” he said.
the minister spoke extensively on the party’s internal challenges, ongoing legal disputes and the pathway to rebuilding the party ahead of future elections.
He stressed that his interventions were motivated solely by the need to ensure the survival, stability and success of the PDP nationwide.
Wike also declared his interest in activities of the Oyo State chapter of the party, describing it as part of broader efforts to strengthen the PDP across the country.
While acknowledging calls for peace by the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) and the National Working Committee (NWC), he urged members to remain vigilant, warning that there were continued attempts to destabilise the party.
According to him, adversaries would not relent in their efforts until they believed the party had been weakened, but he expressed confidence that such attempts would fail.
“They will not give up until they believe you are destroyed, but I will not be destroyed; you will not be destroyed. Let us move forward,” he said.
The minister expressed confidence that attempts by what he described as “vampires” to take over the party’s structure across the 36 states and the FCT would not succeed.
He further urged the party to rely on its internal capacity and experience, noting that PDP had competent legal and organising officers capable of navigating the current challenges.
“We have a competent legal adviser. We have a competent national organising secretary. Experience matters. When we combine our collective experience, the results will speak for themselves,” he said.
Wike thanked NEC members for attending the meeting at short notice and urged them to remain committed to strengthening the PDP as Nigeria’s leading opposition party.
He said the party was now awaiting clear directives from the caretaker committee, particularly on the conduct of overdue congresses, which he described as critical steps toward organising a credible national convention.