The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reaffirmed its determination to participate in the 2027 presidential election, despite the decision of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The party said it was already making preparations for its presidential campaign and would unveil its campaign council once the necessary arrangements had been concluded.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, disclosed this on Wednesday while responding to concerns over Wike’s support for Tinubu, despite the PDP presenting Senator Sandy Onor as its presidential candidate.
According to Mohammed, Wike’s position represents his personal political choice and does not reflect the position of the PDP as a political party.
He said Wike’s recent meeting with Onor should also not be interpreted as an agreement between the minister and the party, describing their discussion as a friendly engagement between two individuals who share a personal relationship.
Mohammed said the PDP had maintained its position that it would contest the 2027 presidential election and that nothing had changed regarding the party’s plans.
He also addressed Wike’s assessment that the PDP would find it difficult to defeat Tinubu, noting that difficulty did not necessarily mean impossibility.
“I think the minister did not say PDP won’t be able to win. He said it would be difficult,” Mohammed said, adding that challenges could still be overcome.
Wike had, during an Arise News interview on Tuesday night, declared his continued support for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign, while acknowledging that the PDP would proceed with its own candidates.
The minister also disclosed that he had invited Onor for a discussion and made his position known to him.
Despite the divergence between Wike and the party leadership, the PDP said preparations for its presidential campaign were progressing.
Mohammed said the campaign council was being constituted and would be made public and inaugurated after all arrangements had been completed.
“Our preparations are in top gear. And at the appropriate time, as usual, once everything is concluded, the presidential campaign council is fully populated, we will make it public; we will inaugurate, and we will go into campaigns the usual way we used to do,” he said.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has listed Senator Sandy Onor as the PDP presidential candidate in the final list released for the 2027 election.
The development leaves Wike, a prominent figure within the PDP structure, supporting a presidential candidate from another political party while the PDP leadership proceeds with its own presidential campaign.
