PDP crisis deepens as chieftain urges Makinde, Wike to end feud

• PDP leader David-Kolawole Vaughan has called on Seyi Makinde and Nyesom Wike to resolve their political rift.
• He warned that the ongoing feud is weakening the party’s unity and hurting its chances ahead of the 2027 elections.
• The crisis has already triggered defections and deepened divisions within the opposition party.

A senior figure in the Peoples Democratic Party has warned that the prolonged political standoff between Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike is dragging the party deeper into crisis and pushing it closer to irrelevance ahead of the 2027 elections.

Speaking in Lagos on Saturday, PDP chieftain David-Kolawole Vaughan said the feud has moved beyond private disagreements and is now publicly damaging the party’s image, weakening its internal cohesion, and distracting leaders from addressing issues that matter to Nigerians.

According to him, the clash between both camps has created a toxic political atmosphere that leaves grassroots supporters confused and disillusioned, while rival parties benefit from the opposition’s internal fractures.

‘This fight is hurting the party’

Vaughan warned that continued infighting could cost the PDP its remaining loyalists, noting that members are growing tired of what they see as endless power struggles instead of meaningful governance and rebuilding.

He said the party’s founding supporters had made sacrifices that current leaders must not take lightly, urging both Makinde and Wike to remember the platform that elevated them to national relevance and leadership.

Read also: Wike-backed PDP shifts national convention to March 29–30

He also criticized the growing exchange of verbal attacks between both camps, describing them as damaging to public confidence and eroding the party’s credibility as a serious alternative in Nigerian politics.

Defections, divisions, and a shrinking base

The chieftain blamed the worsening crisis on deep divisions within the party’s leadership structures, including the Board of Trustees, saying personal interests and factional loyalties have prevented meaningful reconciliation.

He warned that aspirants hoping to contest future elections would suffer if the party fails to stabilise, especially since Nigeria’s electoral laws do not permit independent candidacy.

With defections already thinning PDP ranks across several states, Vaughan said unity, not rivalry, is now the party’s most urgent task, stressing that without internal peace, the road to 2027 will remain steep and uncertain.