Segun Sowunmi, a prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of exacerbating the internal crisis within the opposition party. Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television program, on Wednesday, Sowunmi claimed Tinubu’s appointment of former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike into his cabinet without consulting the PDP has worsened the party’s divisions.
“People will like to say Wike is the cause of the PDP’s problem, but I would rather say it is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Sowunmi asserted. “He has no business appointing our member into his cabinet without talking to us.”
Sowunmi criticized the move as a breach of political etiquette and contrasted Tinubu’s actions with those of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who engaged opposition parties when forming a government of national unity.
“When Obasanjo wanted to form a government of national unity, he ran to the party,” Sowunmi explained. “What did Tinubu do? He took one of us, placed him in a strategic position, and complicated the whole thing.”
The PDP stalwart called for Wike’s removal from the cabinet, suggesting that it could ease the party’s tensions. “If he wants our party to be okay, he should sack Wike and return him to the PDP,” Sowunmi added.
PDP’s Resilience Amid Crisis
Despite the ongoing turbulence, Sowunmi dismissed suggestions that the PDP is on the verge of collapse. Highlighting the party’s resilience, he said, “A party that did not die when Obasanjo tore his card, a party that did not die when Jonathan stood down, is going to die?”
On the leadership dispute within the PDP, Sowunmi noted that the party is awaiting a court ruling to chart its next course. However, he lamented the tendency to resort to legal battles, which he said hampers the party’s ability to resolve internal conflicts.
Criticism of APC’s Governance
Sowunmi also used the platform to critique the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing the party of previously undermining Nigeria’s reputation before taking power.
“We [PDP] are far more mature than them because we understand what it means to protect the territorial integrity and the brand equity of Nigeria,” Sowunmi remarked, emphasizing the PDP’s role as a responsible opposition.
As the PDP navigates its internal challenges, Sowunmi’s remarks underscore the complex interplay of internal and external factors shaping the party’s future.
