Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has issued a stark warning to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership regarding the escalating crisis involving Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike. Fayose cautioned that the current turmoil marks only the beginning of Wike’s political counteroffensive.
In a viral Facebook video on Sunday, Fayose described Wike as an uncompromising political combatant who never retreats from confrontation. “I know Wike very well,” Fayose stated. “If you have trouble with him, you either retreat or seek settlement. Otherwise, he’ll double whatever conflict you initiate.”
The former governor emphasized Wike’s confrontational approach: “When you provoke Wike, it becomes no retreat, no surrender. Once engaged, you must accept whatever consequences follow.” Fayose predicted the PDP crisis would intensify significantly.
“If you initiate minor conflict, Wike escalates it exponentially,” Fayose warned. “Seek one pound of trouble, receive twenty. Start ₦20 conflict, face ₦500 retaliation. This PDP turmoil is merely the opening chapter in Wike’s playbook.”
Deepening PDP Crisis
Fayose’s warning follows Justice James Omotosho’s Federal High Court ruling that blocked PDP’s planned national convention in Ibadan. This triggered a series of retaliatory suspensions within the party hierarchy.
The PDP National Working Committee suspended key officials including National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu and Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade. In response, an Anyanwu-aligned faction suspended Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum, replacing him with Mohammed Abdulrahman.
This exchange of suspensions highlights the deepening rift between Wike’s faction and the main PDP leadership, confirming Fayose’s prediction of escalating political warfare within Nigeria’s major opposition party.