Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has revealed how the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) plotted to take over Lagos State, Nigeria's commercial capital.
During the PDP's reign between 1999 and 2015, Lagos, under the political leadership of the then-governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, was an opposition state.
Ahead of the 2003 general election, the PDP strategised to win the six Southwest states. While Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun and Oyo fell under the PDP's control, Lagos remained an opposition state.
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Until the PDP lost federal power in 2015 to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lagos was not on the same page with the federal government throughout the PDP's 16-year reign.
However, while tackling Chief Bode George, a PDP chieftain in Lagos, Wike affirmed during his media parley with select journalists in Abuja on Monday that the PDP is not politically relevant in the commercial city.
Wike, a PDP member serving as a minister under the ruling All Progressives Congress administration, said the PDP has not amounted to anything in Lagos, where George enjoys political recognition.
He said PDP members should stop complaining about Tinubu's political dominance in the state. The party had in the past tried its best to take the state from Tinubu, but the plan failed.
"In your own state, the party has never won anything. Every day, crying, complaining, from 1999, Tinubu did this, Tinubu did not do this, they rig elections, everyday, even when we were in power. We knew what we did to make sure PDP takes over Lagos, it didn't work. Even when Jonathan came, we knew what we did, it didn't work," he said.
Wike's comment targeted at George was a reply to the PDP chieftain's recent criticism of the Minister.
George recently accused Wike of betraying the party that brought him to life, saying the Minister's sealing of the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja was sacrilegious and disrespectful to the party.
However, Wike disagreed with George, saying individuals are responsible for parties' popularity rather than the other way round.
