Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and Ovation Magazine publisher, Chief Dele Momodu, has blamed Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for forcing Peter Obi out of the PDP ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
Speaking on Arise Television on Wednesday, April 30, Momodu alleged that Wike played a key role in Obi’s departure, which eventually led him to the Labour Party where he became its presidential candidate.
According to Momodu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had encouraged the PDP to zone its 2023 presidential ticket to the Southeast.
But Wike, who publicly distanced himself from any Southeast or Igbo-related political agenda, made it difficult for the party to follow through.
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Momodu stated, “It was the same Wike people complaining about north-south that brought the committee through our party primary open.
“That’s why I was able to buy a form. I bought a form because, at that time, Atiku had told them that if they ceded power to the southeast, then it would make sense to him, but if it would still be a rotation between just a few zones, he would not support it.
“He wanted them to cede power to the southeast. But because Wike had already disqualified himself by saying he’s not an Igbo man, he said he’s from south-south, he’s not interested in Igbo anything, so he succeeded in frustrating Peter Obi out of the party. So, the coast was clear for Nyesom Wike.”
He further claimed that zoning had never been a problem in the PDP until Wike and his allies began pushing a north-south division over the party’s presidential ticket.
Momodu’s remarks add to the ongoing internal debates within the PDP over the role of zoning and regional loyalty in the party’s electoral strategy.