₦airaland Forum

By Ola Ola

My name is Ola. A patriotic Nigerian. I am without any political affiliation. No party, No candidate. Here is my opinion regarding Wike and PDP pre/pro 2023 election.

In politics, ambition wears many faces—some smile in the name of party loyalty, others cloak themselves in the language of reform. But in the case of Nyesom Wike, former Governor of Rivers State and current Minister in President Tinubu’s cabinet, ambition is now a thread that stitches together every major political move he’s made since 2021. To understand Wike’s role in the fall of Uche Secondus as PDP National Chairman is to understand a high-stakes political chess game—one that began with precision and ended in betrayal.
Let’s be honest: Wike didn’t remove Uche Secondus to “save the party.” That explanation, which he has peddled repeatedly, is political lipstick on a bruised narrative. The deeper truth is far more compelling—and far more damning. Wike orchestrated Secondus’s fall to position himself as a southern ally for the 2023 presidential ticket. And when that strategy failed, he turned on the very party he claimed to protect.

Zoning, Ambition, and the Secondus Obstacle
For context, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) operates an informal zoning agreement—a delicate North-South rotation meant to maintain political equilibrium. In 2021, Uche Secondus, a southerner like Wike, held the position of National Chairman. With the 2023 elections on the horizon, the logic of PDP zoning was simple: if the South held the chairmanship, the North would likely claim the presidential ticket.
Wike, however, had other plans. If he wanted to contest for president—or even install a southern candidate—Secondus had to go. Keeping a Southern chairman would automatically zone the ticket to the North, eliminating any Southern aspirant before the race even began.
So, Wike made his move. He engineered the removal of Secondus, replacing him with Iyorchia Ayu, a northerner. This wasn’t about party reform. It was a structural rebalancing to serve a personal goal: make room for a southern candidate, ideally himself.

When the Game Turned
Wike went on to contest the PDP presidential primary in 2022. He lost to Atiku Abubakar—a northerner. From that point on, the mask slipped.
Rather than rally behind Atiku and work for party unity, Wike pivoted to sabotage. He led the infamous G5 Governors, boycotting Atiku’s campaign events. He denied Atiku access to state venues in Rivers. He publicly mocked the PDP leadership and ultimately withheld Rivers State’s electoral support from the PDP—in effect, handing it to Bola Tinubu of the APC.
It’s no coincidence that Tinubu, a southerner, became president—and that Wike, who nominally belonged to an opposition party, ended up in Tinubu’s cabinet.

The Pattern Is the Proof
Wike’s trajectory tells a coherent story:


Stage 2021
Action: Removed Secondus
Underlying Motive: Remove zoning barrier for southern candidacy

Stage: 2022
Action: Contested primaries
Underlying Motive: Personal ambition to be the flag bearer

Stage: Post-2022
Action: Rejected Atiku, crippled PDP
Underlying Motive: Retaliation for losing the ticket

Stage: 2023
Action: Supported Tinubu tacitly
Underlying Motive: Retaliation of losing, Prove his anger, Keep the presidency in the South

Stage: 2024
Action: Accepted APC ministerial role

The political reward for sabotage
This is not the behavior of a typical party person. It’s the profile of a man who is angry —and whose every move makes sense when viewed through the lens of power, not principle.

The Verdict
Wike’s campaign against Uche Secondus was not about saving the PDP from internal crisis. It was about clearing the field. The moment his ambition was blocked, he became the party’s greatest internal threat. The fallout of this betrayal cost the PDP the presidency in 2023.
In truth, Wike did not just remove Secondus. He removed the South’s claim to the PDP flag and then attempted to reinstall it by force. When denied, he helped deliver the presidency to the ruling party to show his anger—and crossed over to enjoy the spoils.

To him, yes.

WhizdomXX:
To him, yes.

This is not to him. It is my thinking. I am just seeing a possibility here.

This is just another side of the coin

The moment his ambition was blocked, he became the party’s greatest internal threat.

Put Atiku aside, blame Obaseki in precise more for Wike's over reacting after Pdp primary loss

I hope the OP will also come and give us his opinion about Atiku from 2017 to 2023 in PDP?
Then we can decide who truly scatter the PDP.

seanfer:
I hope the OP will also come and give us his opinion about Atiku from 2017 to 2023 in PDP?
Then we can decide who truly scatter the PDP.

Surely, I will write about this. Can I mention you when I did?

helinues:
Put Atiku aside, blame Obaseki in precise more for Wike's over reacting after Pdp primary loss

Honestly, I won't blame Wike much. E get y

olaolaking:
Surely, I will write about this. Can I mention you when I did?

Sure..