Segun Sowunmi, a prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Ogun State governorship candidate, has identified President Bola Tinubu as the PDP’s primary challenge. Speaking during an interview on Politics Today on Channels Television on Wednesday, Sowunmi criticized Tinubu’s decision to appoint former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“People will like to say Wike, but I will rather say President Bola Tinubu,” Sowunmi remarked when asked about the PDP’s main issue.
Criticism of Wike’s Appointment
Sowunmi argued that Tinubu overstepped by appointing Wike, a PDP member, without consulting the party’s leadership.
“He had no business appointing our member into his cabinet without talking to us. He had no business taking Nyesom Wike from our party and appointing him,” Sowunmi said.
Drawing a comparison, he referenced former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s approach to forming a government of national unity, emphasizing that Obasanjo consulted party elders before making such decisions.
“If Tinubu wants the PDP to be okay, he should return Wike to our party,” Sowunmi added.
PDP’s Future and Internal Crisis
Despite the internal turmoil, Sowunmi maintained that the PDP remains resilient and capable of reclaiming power.
“The party is neither dead nor sick. What we are dealing with is the struggle of democracy,” he said, dismissing suggestions that the PDP is in decline.
He acknowledged, however, that the party faces challenges, including the ambiguity surrounding Wike’s allegiance, given his role in the All Progressives Congress (APC) government while remaining a PDP member.
“These are complications that will have to be managed,” Sowunmi admitted, but he firmly rejected claims that the party is in its final stages.
The PDP, Sowunmi insisted, is undergoing a phase of adjustment as it navigates its internal issues and prepares for a political comeback.
