Wike says PDP hasn’t learnt, backs Tinubu again
Wike says PDP hasn’t learnt, backs Tinubu again as Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike doubled down on his support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, accusing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of repeating the same internal errors that, in his view, cost the party political ground.
Wike spoke during a media parley in Abuja on Monday, March 2, 2026, insisting his stance is not a surprise. He said he publicly declared as far back as 2023 that he would support Tinubu even while remaining a PDP member. 
“I told you in 2023 that even as a PDP man, I was going to work for the President,” Wike said, arguing that opposition parties did not present “serious candidates” at the time. 
That declaration sets the tone for the latest reiteration: Wike says PDP hasn’t learnt, backs Tinubu again.
“My party appears not to have learnt”
Wike’s sharpest words were aimed at the PDP’s internal decision-making. He said the party “appeared not to have learnt,” and used that as justification for continuing to stand with Tinubu. 
“I have said several times that, as far as I am concerned, my party appears not to have learnt. That is why I said I was going to support Mr President for a second term,” he said. 
In Wike’s framing, the PDP’s problem is not just electoral performance. It is a pattern of internal politics that he claims ignores critical stakeholders and fuels recurring crises. This is a familiar Wike argument: that a party that refuses to correct itself cannot demand loyalty from leaders it treats as expendable.
So again, Wike says PDP hasn’t learnt, backs Tinubu again—and he’s tying that decision directly to how he says the party is run.
“They didn’t consult me on candidates”
One of the most politically loaded parts of Wike’s statement was his claim that the PDP failed to consult him on candidates presented for elections, despite his position in government and his political influence.
“As a minister, my party did not consult me on the candidates they were going to present,” he said. 
That line matters because it suggests Wike sees candidate selection as a test of respect and inclusion. In Nigerian party politics, candidate choices are often the real battlefield. When Wike says the party didn’t consult him, he is telling his supporters that the PDP leadership cannot expect him to mobilise for decisions he didn’t participate in.
That grievance is central to the headline: Wike says PDP hasn’t learnt, backs Tinubu again.
https://ogelenews.ng/wike-says-pdp-hasnt-learnt
Cross-party backing: “If they support Tinubu, I’m with them”
Wike went further than simply endorsing Tinubu. He said his support extends to candidates of any party, as long as they are aligned with Tinubu’s re-election.
“I said I would support candidates who support Mr President for his re-election. It does not matter which party they belong to. If they support Mr President, then of course I will pitch my tent with them,” he said. 
This is where the story goes beyond a PDP internal quarrel. If Wike says PDP hasn’t learnt, backs Tinubu again, the practical effect is that he is signalling a political coalition logic: Tinubu’s second-term project is the axis, party labels are secondary.
For PDP loyalists, this is political heresy. For APC strategists, it is useful reinforcement. For voters watching from the outside, it raises a deeper question: what does party identity mean when a senior PDP figure openly campaigns on cross-party lines?
Why he brought up the FCT elections
Wike also used the same media session to defend decisions around the Federal Capital Territory area council elections, including movement restrictions and his visibility around polling activities.
He argued that elections are not “one-day events,” insisting that “election is a process” that begins from nominations, goes through campaigns, and culminates in voting. 
He said movement restriction from 8 p.m. was approved by the President and justified on security grounds, and rejected claims that it disenfranchised voters. 
He also dismissed allegations that he influenced outcomes, stressing he was not on the ballot and urging dissatisfied parties to seek redress at the tribunal. 
This context matters because it shows how Wike is positioning himself: as a political operator with delegated authority, unapologetic about power, and comfortable framing elections as systems to be won—not just events to be observed. That posture is consistent with the headline message: Wike says PDP hasn’t learnt, backs Tinubu again.
The stakes for 2027
Wike’s renewed endorsement adds heat to a political season that is already forming ahead of 2027. Beyond the noise, there are three immediate implications:
1. PDP cohesion gets weaker if major actors publicly commit to another party’s presidential candidate while still wearing PDP colours.
2. Tinubu’s re-election calculus improves if influential opposition figures continue to create working alliances—formal or informal.
3. Voter trust takes a hit when party branding appears negotiable at elite level, even while supporters treat it as identity.
Even Nigeria’s official news agency previously reported Wike pledging support for Tinubu’s second term months earlier, showing this is not a sudden pivot but a sustained line. 
Still, the latest statement sharpens it into a headline the public can’t ignore: Wike says PDP hasn’t learnt, backs Tinubu again.
https://punchng.com/wike-says-pdp-hasnt-learnt-backs-tinubu-again
