Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, a prominent chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has strongly refuted claims made by Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, about the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)‘s decision to zone the 2023 presidential ticket. In a statement issued on Monday, Eze accused Wike of spreading “broad daylight lies” and claimed that Wike himself was the main figure behind the collapse of PDP’s zoning policy.
Wike had recently alleged that Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State and others had influenced the decision to zone the presidential ticket to the North, a move that contradicted the party’s previously agreed-upon policy of rotational zoning. However, Eze rejected this, asserting that it was, in fact, Wike who was responsible for pushing the PDP to abandon its zoning policy. He argued that Wike’s desire to secure the PDP presidential ticket for himself led him to undermine the party’s traditional zoning arrangement.
Eze explained that Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate, had actually supported the idea of zoning the presidency to the South, but specifically to the South-East. However, Wike, feeling threatened by Peter Obi’s candidacy and his own presidential ambitions, influenced the PDP governors to vote against Atiku’s proposal and opted to throw the race open, allowing anyone to contest.
The APC chieftain also accused Wike of engaging in divisive actions within the PDP, including publicly attacking Atiku and forcing Peter Obi out of the party, which Eze believes contributed to the PDP’s defeat in the 2023 elections. He criticized Wike for failing to secure the PDP presidential ticket and lamented his subsequent efforts to undermine the party after his loss in the primaries.
Eze also alleged that Wike’s ongoing relationship with President Bola Tinubu was part of a plan to weaken the PDP, and he warned that Wike’s alliance with the APC was a political marriage of convenience that would eventually collapse due to Wike’s alleged tendencies for betrayal, egocentrism, and tyranny.
In conclusion, Eze urged the PDP leadership to stop seeking reconciliation with Wike, suggesting that his pact with Tinubu was part of a strategy to diminish the PDP ahead of the 2027 elections. He even called for Wike to leave the APC if he truly believed in his political ambitions, claiming that his continued association with the APC could be damaging to the PDP’s prospects.
