“Mask Is Off”: PDP Says Wike Exposed as Permanent Agent Provocateur

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has launched a scathing rebuke of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, labeling him a “permanent agent provocateur” whose “mask of pretence” is now fully removed.

The condemnation follows Wike’s recent declaration during an end-of-year media chat where he reiterated his support for the presumptive presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 election, while still maintaining his membership in the opposition PDP.

In a press statement issued on Monday and signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the PDP asserted that Wike’s public alignment with the APC confirms the basis of his recent expulsion from the party for anti-party activities. The party described this stance as “a locus classicus of anti-democratic adventurism.”

The statement traces what it calls a “recurrent troublemaker” pattern in Wike’s political conduct since 2015. It accused him of serially instigating leadership crises within the PDP’s National Working Committee, championing the rise of chairmen like Ali Modu Sheriff, Uche Secondus, and Iyorchia Ayu, only to later lead fierce campaigns for their removal.

“Wike’s politics thrives on perpetual conflict, feeding on attention and seeking relevance through calculated disruption,” the statement read. “And when starved of attention, he seeks to destroy everything.”

The PDP further pointed to his governance record in Rivers State, citing “the imposition of candidates, internal exclusionary practices, and the unprecedented prevention of a duly nominated PDP presidential candidate from campaigning in a PDP-controlled state” as evidence of a consistent departure from democratic norms.

The party’s core allegation is that Wike and an associated group have entered a “clandestine agreement” to “destroy the PDP as a part of their bargain” to support President Bola Tinubu, warning that such agreements for an “illegal purpose” are unenforceable.

“Now that the mask is off… Nigerians are now clearly aware of their disposition to destroy the PDP,” the statement declared.

Concluding on a note of defiance, the PDP assured Nigerians that it would field a credible candidate for the 2027 presidential election and secure victory, emphasizing that “no one person has the capacity to personalize the party.” It stated that the Kabiru Turaki-led National Working Committee is focused on rebuilding the party and preparing it for electoral success.