A prominent chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tom FredFish, has urged the party to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South-South region, specifically recommending FCT Minister Nyesom Wike as the candidate.
FredFish, who serves as the Chairman of PDP Advocates for Peace and Justice (PAPAJ), made this statement during a media engagement in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. He argued that giving Wike the presidential ticket would honor the party's zoning arrangement and potentially restore peace within the fractured opposition party.
"The PDP should not waste its time setting up committees for reconciliation without considering the zoning of its president to the South-South, and Wike is the only robust and credible candidate in the southern part of Nigeria that can win elections, especially against President Bola Tinubu," FredFish stated.
The PDP chieftain dismissed the party's recently constituted reconciliation committee as futile, questioning "what and who are they going to reconcile?" He emphasized that without Wike, the PDP would struggle to maintain its relevance in Nigerian politics.
FredFish painted a bleak picture of the current PDP leadership, describing the governors as "weak," the National Executive Committee as "handicapped," and the Board of Trustees as being "in a coma."
"There is no one left in the PDP with the finance, reach, and access to the judiciary to 'turn things around' for the PDP like Nyesom Wike. He is the soul of the party, the saviour, redeemer, and solution to PDP's misfortune," he added.
However, FredFish's comments appeared to contain contradictions, as he also criticized Wike for being "two-faced" and "destroying the PDP who made him who he is." He suggested that giving Wike the presidential ticket would reveal the minister's true character to Nigerians.
"Giving Wike the PDP presidential ticket is the right thing to do for Nigerians to know who Wike, who is now bootlicking President Tinubu, really is. Nigerians will see if he would resign as the FCT Minister and face his presidential ambition or if he would reject the ticket and continue to serve President Tinubu while destroying the party that brought him to the limelight," FredFish remarked.
The statement comes amid ongoing internal conflicts within the PDP following its defeat in the 2023 presidential election. Wike, who currently serves as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory in President Tinubu's APC-led government, has remained a controversial figure within the PDP, with his influence extending across party lines.
Political analysts view these developments as early positioning ahead of the 2027 general elections, with parties already beginning to strategize for the post-Tinubu political landscape.
