WITH virtually his two legs in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Friday still assured that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would participate in the 2027 general elections.
Wike stated this during a media parley, dismissing claims that the party might not remain relevant ahead of the next election cycle.
“I have no doubt that we have a lot of work to do. But what is important is that the PDP will be on the Ballot in 2027 as against pundits who have written off that the PDP will not be there and we are going to make a great impact in certain areas,” he said.
According to him, the PDP has remained active despite not producing a president since 2015.
“From 2015 till now, we never had a president. But the party is still there. So, what is my own concern is, what are you going to do to keep the party relevant? Parties will be contesting at sub-national level,”
The former Rivers State governor emphasised the need for the party to strengthen its structures at sub-national levels rather than focusing only on the presidency.
“Everything is not about president, president, president,” he stated.
Wike also cautioned against presenting a presidential candidate without proper preparation, noting that contesting elections requires both emotional and psychological readiness.
He said political parties must build strong grassroots support to remain competitive, warning that winning the presidency without control at lower levels would weaken party influence.
The PDP has been battling a leadership crisis since 2025, with rival factions loyal to Wike and some governors holding separate conventions and contesting control of the party in court.
This has raised concerns among analysts about PDP’s cohesion ahead of the 2027 polls.
