Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has thrown his weight behind the suspension of Ambassador Umar Damagum, the acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), insisting that the party must put an end to what he described as a culture of impunity.
Wike made the remarks on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he addressed the escalating leadership tussle within the opposition party.
“We can’t continue to allow impunity in the PDP. Rules must mean something,” Wike said.
The PDP’s internal crisis intensified over the weekend when a faction loyal to Wike, led by Samuel Anyanwu, the party’s embattled National Secretary, announced the suspension of Damagum and several members of the National Working Committee (NWC).
The development came only hours after the NWC itself suspended Anyanwu following an emergency meeting at the party’s headquarters.
In retaliation, Anyanwu convened a separate briefing in Abuja where he declared the suspension of Damagum and five other senior officials, including Debo Ologunagba, Taofeek Arapaja, Daniel Woyenguikoro, Sulaiman Kadade, and Setonji Koshoedo.
During the interview, Wike accused some PDP governors of using public resources to finance internal party disputes rather than improving their states.
“The kind of money some governors are getting today is unprecedented.
”I commend the President for releasing so much to the states, but instead of investing it in development, some of them are using it to destroy the same party that made them,” he said.
The FCT Minister, a key figure in the party’s G-5 bloc, lamented that indiscipline and financial recklessness among certain leaders had continued to weaken the PDP’s national structure.
Wike reiterated his commitment to “reforming the PDP from within,” stressing that loyalty to party ideals should outweigh personal ambition.
“You can’t benefit from a party and then turn around to undermine it. Those days are gone,” he added.
The ongoing leadership battle within the PDP has further deepened divisions ahead of the 2027 elections, with multiple factions claiming control of the party’s national organs.
