Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has weighed in on the deepening leadership crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), warning party leaders to brace themselves for a fierce confrontation with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
In a viral Facebook video on Sunday, Fayose cautioned PDP leaders against underestimating Wike’s political temperament, describing him as a relentless fighter who never backs down from a confrontation.
Fayose said, “I know Wike very well. If you have wahala with him, you will run or you find a way to settle it with him; otherwise, he will give you double of whatever you bargain for.
“If you look for Wike’s wahala, it’s no retreat, no surrender. Once he starts, whatever your eyes see, just take it like that.”
The former governor added that the ongoing PDP crisis was far from over, warning that Wike’s response would likely further shake the party.
He said, “If you look for one pound wahala, he will give you that of 20 pounds; if you look for wahala of ₦20, he will give you that of ₦500. Even you yourself, you won’t have peace.
“You see this PDP wahala, as far as Wike is concerned, this is just the beginning. He will fight them. I know Wike; his wahala is just starting.”
Fayose’s remarks come amid the escalating internal crisis that has split the PDP into rival factions.
The turmoil followed a Federal High Court ruling by Justice James Omotosho in Abuja, which barred the opposition party from holding its planned national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State, later this month.
In response to the ruling, the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) suspended several top officers, including the National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu; Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade; Deputy Legal Adviser, Okechukwu Osuoha; and National Organising Secretary, Umaru Bature, for one month.
In what appeared to be a retaliatory move, a faction loyal to Anyanwu announced the suspension of the Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and appointed Mohammed Abdulrahman as acting chairman in his place.