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Hours after Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde declared his intention to run for president in 2027, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike dismissed the ambition as stillborn and described the political alliance behind it as fraudulent.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday during an inspection of road projects in the capital, Wike rejected claims of a formal partnership between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
“That’s the 419 we are talking about. INEC also knows that there is no such thing as a PDP-APM alliance,” Wike said.
Wike accused unnamed opposition figures of deceiving the public about a memorandum of understanding between the two parties.
He said the Independent National Electoral Commission has no documentation of any such agreement.
According to the minister, the PDP remains independent and is already conducting its own screening of aspirants.
“The screening of aspirants by the Abdulrahman Mohammed PDP faction clearly indicates that the party is independent and not in any alliance,” he stated.
Wike argued that the Oyo governor’s move to join the APM was a personal calculation rather than a genuine coalition.
“What you have is Seyi Makinde joining APM to be able to actualise his presidential ambition, which is already dead on arrival,” Wike said.
He insisted that the PDP would field its own presidential candidate in 2027 and urged Nigerians to ignore talk of mergers or coalitions.
Wike also referenced Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, noting that no discussion of a PDP-APM alliance came up during his engagements within the party.
“It’s unfortunate. We know that has been his game plan, and we would say he cannot fly the flag of PDP,” Wike said of Makinde.
