Segun Showunmi, a PDP leader, has claimed that Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, was instrumental in keeping the South East from obtaining the party’s presidential ticket prior to the 2023 election.In a TVC interview, he made the direct accusation: “The only Southern burden that we had was the Southeast, and unfortunately Wike also denied them, and he was part of those who did that.”
Despite this criticism, he defended Wike against allegations that he is the primary instigator of the current crisis within the People’s Democratic Party. “You see this thing about Wike, I understand it. And I am a man who is begging God to let me lead the party. And if you want to lead, you must beg God for the principles and the idea of fairness and being able to see and not just blame people,” he stated.
Segun Showunmi characterized Wike’s actions as responsive rather than aggressive. “I have not seen one instance, with due respect, where Wike was the aggressor. What I have seen on the other hand is that they will do an action and then he will do a reaction, and then everybody will start shouting his name, which is fine.”The PDP chieftain emphasized that both Atiku Abubakar and Wike remain indispensable figures within the party. “The men that can get us out of this quagmire are two. Because of the length of time Atiku has been contesting in this country and the gravitas of always being either number one or number two, and all of them, you can’t measure how many people he can canvass,” he said.
He warned against dismissing either political heavyweight: “So if you underrate Atiku, you do it at your peril, but I insist that you cannot underrate Wike, because if you could, why will he not even be a governor, and you people are still screaming to say this Wike guy?”
