Eze Fires Back at Wike: Accuses Him of Sabotaging PDP Zoning for Personal Ambition
Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, a prominent member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has responded sharply to recent claims made by Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister. Wike had alleged that Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State and other party leaders were responsible for the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) decision to break its zoning agreement and award its 2023 Presidential ticket to the North, contrary to the party’s previous policy.
In a statement issued on Monday, Eze emphasized the need to correct what he described as Wike’s falsehoods, warning that such misleading statements could deceive the public. Eze accused Wike of misrepresenting the facts surrounding the PDP’s 2023 presidential primaries, asserting that it was actually Wike’s actions, not Atiku Abubakar or Governor Bala Mohammed, that led to the breakdown of the party’s zoning agreement.
Eze was particularly critical of Wike’s recent remarks in an interview where he claimed that the PDP’s informal north-south zoning arrangement had been undermined. Eze pointed out that Wike’s selective memory had failed to mention the real cause of the collapse of the zoning agreement — Wike’s personal ambition and his autocratic approach to securing the PDP presidential ticket. According to Eze, Wike’s behavior in 2022, which included his refusal to abide by the party’s zoning framework, ultimately led to the primaries being opened up to all contestants.
The APC chieftain further stated that Wike’s accusations against Atiku were nothing but a distortion of events. Eze clarified that Atiku had supported zoning the ticket to the South, but specifically to the South-East, in line with the party’s unwritten understanding. However, Wike’s fear of Peter Obi’s influence within the party and his own presidential aspirations led him to oppose this proposal, siding instead with a more open primary that allowed candidates from any region to run.
Eze also recalled that Wike had been vocal in his ambitions, going so far as to publicly declare his belief that the presidential slot was his for the taking. His failure to secure the ticket, Eze argued, set in motion Wike’s eventual fallout with the PDP, culminating in his support for Bola Tinubu’s APC in the aftermath of the 2023 elections.
Finally, Eze warned that Wike’s political alliance with Tinubu would eventually unravel due to Wike’s history of betrayal and his domineering political style. He advised the PDP leadership to abandon any hopes of reconciling with Wike, suggesting that his presence in the APC was part of a strategy to weaken the opposition and facilitate Tinubu’s political agenda for 2027.
Eze concluded by urging Wike to cease using Atiku’s name to bolster his position within the APC, challenging him to resign from his ministerial post if he wished to prove his relevance within the party.
