Tinubu Is PDP’s Problem, Not Wike – Sowunmi

Segun Sowunmi, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has pointed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the source of the party’s internal problems, citing his decision to appoint Nyesom Wike, a PDP member, as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Sowunmi shared his views during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday.

When asked about the challenges facing the PDP, Sowunmi said, “People will like to say Wike, but I will rather say President Bola Tinubu.” He criticized the president’s August 2023 appointment of Wike, arguing that Tinubu had overstepped by bringing a key opposition figure into his cabinet without consulting the PDP’s leadership.

“He has no business appointing our member into his cabinet without talking to us,” Sowunmi stated. “He had no business taking Nyesom Wike from our party and appointing him.”

While acknowledging that Tinubu’s move might have been an effort to establish a government of national unity, Sowunmi insisted it disrupted the opposition’s structure and strategy.

In a related development, all 36 PDP state chairmen reaffirmed their support for the party’s acting national chairman, Umar Damagun, ahead of the National Executive Committee meeting scheduled for November 28. This show of solidarity comes despite criticism from certain party members, including former national publicity secretary Kola Ologbondiyan, who have called for Damagun’s replacement. Critics have accused Damagun of poor leadership, pointing to recent electoral losses in Edo and Ondo states as evidence of the party’s faltering under his stewardship.