Dr. Mustapha Muhammad Inuwa, the campaign director for Atiku/Lado during the 2023 general elections in Katsina, has attributed the ongoing turmoil within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to actions by Nyesom Wike, the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and a prominent figure in the All Progressives Congress (APC) according to Daily Trust.
Dr. Inuwa made this assertion during a recent stakeholders' meeting in Katsina focused on addressing the party's internal conflicts.
In his remarks, Dr. Inuwa highlighted that Wike’s influence extends beyond his ministerial role, suggesting that his maneuvers have exacerbated the divisions within the PDP both at the national and state levels. "Wike and his ally, former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, have publicly declared they support no presidential candidate for the 2027 elections, opting instead to endorse President Tinubu. Their actions appear aimed not at electoral success but at weakening the PDP in favor of the APC," Dr. Inuwa stated.
The crisis in Katsina's PDP is deepened by accusations against Yakubu Lado Danmarke, the party's 2023 governorship candidate. Some stakeholders allege that Lado, with backing from the state’s caretaker committee appointed by the national working committee, has been distributing congress forms clandestinely. This move, they argue, is an attempt to centralize control over the party’s state structure.
The meeting, chaired by former PDP national secretary, Sen. Umar Ibrahim Tsauri, underscored a sense of urgency to resolve these internal disputes. "We must take decisive action to salvage the party before the upcoming congresses," Tsauri urged.
Dr. Inuwa's comments reflect growing concern within the PDP about the influence of external actors like Wike, who, despite their shift to the APC, continue to wield significant sway over PDP affairs.