James Uche
Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have taken the fight to the camp of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, declaring that the era of impunity and arrogance in the opposition party is over.
The governors, under the aegis of the PDP Governors’ Forum, warned that they would no longer tolerate attempts by Wike and his allies to hold the party hostage, stressing that discipline must return to the fold.
Speaking on behalf of the governors at the inauguration of the National Convention Planning Committee in Abuja on Tuesday, Chairman of the Forum and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, vowed that the November 15 and 16 national elective convention scheduled to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State, would go ahead despite threats.
“We are not cowards, and we are not afraid of anybody,” Mohammed declared in fiery tones. “We are capable of navigating this party beyond the shenanigans, beyond the arrogance, and beyond the impunity of others. Enough is enough!”
The remarks came barely 24 hours after Wike’s loyalists, in Abuja, listed six tough conditions the PDP leadership must meet before the convention can hold peacefully.
But Mohammed dismissed the ultimatum, insisting the party will not be blackmailed.
“We cannot continue to participate and allow people to take us to the slaughterhouse. Our job is to ensure discipline and restore order. We will no longer allow or tolerate anybody to take us for granted. It has to stop,” he thundered.
The governor’s tough stance underscores the deepening rift between the mainstream PDP leadership and Wike’s camp, which has remained a powerful pressure bloc since the 2023 general elections.
Party insiders told newsmen that the coming weeks may define the PDP’s survival as Nigeria’s leading opposition party, with both sides unwilling to back down.
