Wike dismisses PDP-APM alliance as ‘419 politics,’ hails Abuja Satellite Town projects, as Makinde declares for Presidency
BY STEPHEN GBADAMOSI
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Thursday, dismissed reports of the alliance between a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), describing the claim as “Political 419.”
This is coming on the heels of the declaration of the Oyo State governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, for presidential contest on the ticket of the APM.
The two opposition parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Thursday.
Seyi Bamidele signed the MoU on behalf of the PDP, while Oladele Oyadeji signed for the APM.
Governor Makinde and the National Chairman of the APM, Yusuf Dantalle, also signed the agreement on behalf of both parties.
The Oyo State governor, thereafter, declared his intention to join the 2027 presidential race.
Makinde called on opposition leaders to unite against what he described as a deliberate effort by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to redirect Nigeria to a one-party state.
He maintained that Nigeria no longer operated democracy without a political landscape that guaranteeg a level playing ground for opposition parties without the interference of the ruling party.
He equally called on Nigerians to rise above being what he described as political spectators and bystanders, assuring that with collective participation of all Nigerian of eligible age for voting, Nigeria would record a historic reset come 2027.
But while speaking with journalists during an inspection of ongoing road projects in Gomani – Yangoje, Kwali Area Council, Abuja, Wike accused Makinde of misleading Nigerians with claims of a PDP-APM alliance ahead of the 2027 elections.
“When I say people are fraudulent, they thought I was joking. And that’s the 419 we are talking about,” he said.
He said both the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were not aware of the existence of such alliance.
“There’s no alliance between PDP and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) or any other political party, as the case may be. INEC also knows that there’s nothing called PDP-APM alliance,” he stated.
According to him, ongoing political activities within the PDP, including the screening of aspirants, clearly showed that the party remained independent and had not entered into any coalition arrangement.
“PDP has presented a presidential candidate and watch out who will be submitted to INEC and see whether there’s anything called PDP-APM,” he added.
Wike further alleged that Makinde was pursuing his personal presidential ambition through the APM platform.
“What you have is Seyi Makinde joining APM to be able to actualise his presidential ambition, which is already dead on arrival,” the minister said.
He insisted that Governor Bala Mohammed had never spoken of any PDP-APM alliance, adding that the narrative was merely a political imagination.
“It’s unfortunate. We know that has been his game plan and we would say he cannot fly the flag of PDP,” Wike said.
The minister also reacted to comments credited to the governor of Rivers State concerning his continued membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the governor had not told anyone to pity him.
“Sorry for what? Why are you saying problem when nobody has told you he has a problem? The man has told you he still remains APC. So, what is the problem now?” he asked.
He maintained that issues concerning the governor’s standing within the APC remained the party’s internal affair.
“Ask me about PDP, I will answer you. Because how will you ask me whatever happens? Assuming he has a problem, it’s their internal affairs,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the minister expressed satisfaction with the ongoing road project linking Gomani to Yangoji in Abuja, saying the development aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to spread infrastructure beyond city centres and open up satellite communities under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Speaking during the inspection of the project, according to his media aide, Lere Olayinka, Wike said the Tinubu-led administration deliberately prioritised rural and satellite town development to curb rural-urban migration and improve connectivity across the FCT.
He said the road project formed part of a broader infrastructure drive that began with the A2-Pai road, which was inaugurated by President Tinubu during his second year in office.
“Remember that when we came on board, one of the directives of Mr. President is that we should not concentrate development in one area; we should not concentrate provision of infrastructure only in the cities; we must open up all the satellite towns, in order to discourage rural-urban migration,” Wike said.
