Senator Samuel Anyanwu, National Secretary of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has unequivocally reaffirmed his loyalty to Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, stating he would ‘never betray’ their political alliance.
His remarks came as he flatly dismissed ongoing plans for the PDP to join any opposition coalition fronted by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, asserting the party’s capacity to ‘stand on its own.
Anyanwu, who has been a close associate of Wike, described the FCT minister as both a friend and a political leader whom he would never disown, regardless of external pressures.
“The FCT Minister is my friend and my boss and I can never for any intimidation, deny him. Nobody can make me to deny my friend because after position, there’s still life. Even you as journalists, I don’t know where I’m going to meet you tomorrow. Your job may not be as a journalist. So I cannot under-rate any of you, because this journey is still very far and nobody knows how it will end”, Anyanwu told THISDAY in an exclusive interview.
His comments come amid rising tensions within the PDP, particularly between factions loyal to Wike and those backing Atiku.
Anyanwu urged unity among PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) members, emphasizing that they began their tenure as a united family and should complete their remaining four months peacefully to maintain brotherhood beyond office. He dismissed claims of being “pro-Wike” as irrelevant, defending Wike’s APC appointment by detailing the proper approval process – including consent from Wike’s state party chapter, the then-governor, and the NWC – and stating he wouldn’t oppose Wike’s legitimate political decisions.
“This is what I tell my NWC members. We came here as a united family. It would be nice for us to go as a united family so that we can still meet tomorrow and say we are brothers; we served in an organisation. Let nobody try to fragment the NWC. We’ve been here for three years plus. We just have four months to go. Let us do it and go in peace. We just have a few months to go. Why would anybody want to break his head? So for me, the position of the National Secretary is very clear. I’m the Secretary of the caucus. I’m the Secretary of NEC. Some people will say Senator Anyanwu is pro-Wike.
“What is pro-Wike? Everybody knows his role in this party. Everybody knows that when it mattered most, he was there for the party. He is working with the APC government, and they forget the way he was appointed, he wrote a letter to his party in the State. The party gave him a go-ahead. He wrote a letter to the then Governor, the governor of the State also gave him the go-ahead; he wrote to NWC, and he was appointed. I would not stop him from going to hold that position.
On the question of a possible coalition involving the PDP and other opposition parties, Anyanwu was unequivocal. “No, the PDP is not part of any coalition. The PDP cannot merge with another party,” he stated firmly. “This is the party that took power from the military, and in every corner of Nigeria, you will find the PDP. If anything, other parties should be merging into the PDP, not the other way around.”
His stance signals a clear rejection of Atiku’s recent efforts to build a broad opposition alliance ahead of the 2027 elections. Atiku, the PDP’s presidential candidate in 2023, has been engaging with other political figures to form a united front against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The PDP has been grappling with internal divisions since the 2023 elections, with Wike and a group of governors known as the G-5 openly opposing Atiku’s candidacy over the party’s failure to zone the presidency to the south. Wike’s subsequent acceptance of a ministerial role under Tinubu further deepened the rift, creating factions within the party.
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