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Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Barr. Nyesom Wike, on Monday, dismissed the endorsement of former President Goodluck Jonathan by a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, insisting that Senator Sandy Onor remains the party’s only recognised presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Wike, who spoke during his monthly media chat in Abuja, questioned the basis for endorsing a presidential aspirant who has neither declared interest in the race nor accepted the nomination.
“Do you pick someone who has not told you he wants to run for an election?” the minister asked.
His remarks followed the emergence of parallel presidential candidates from rival groups within the PDP at the weekend, with one faction backing Onor while another reportedly endorsed Jonathan in absentia.
Maintaining that there is no division within the PDP, Wike argued that the party’s recognised structures had already produced Onor as its standard-bearer.
“There is no faction in the PDP. The only presidential candidate of the PDP is Sandy Onor,” he said.
The former Rivers State governor also hinged his position on the recognition accorded the party by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, stressing that the electoral body recognises only the PDP national secretariat at Wadata Plaza, Abuja.
According to him, the party’s official decisions can only emanate from its recognised organs and headquarters.
“INEC must know the secretariat of all political parties. The INEC-recognised PDP secretariat is Wadata Plaza and not anybody’s private office or bedroom,” Wike stated.
The development is the latest twist in the leadership and organisational crisis rocking the opposition party ahead of the 2027 general election.
Although one faction endorsed Jonathan for the presidency, the former President has yet to publicly respond to the move or indicate any intention to contest the election.
Wike’s intervention is expected to further fuel debate over legitimacy and leadership within the PDP as rival blocs continue to battle for control of the party’s structures ahead of the next electoral cycle.
