Segun Sowunmi reveals he would have frozen Nyesom Wike’s PDP membership and been tough on Atiku Abubakar if he were the party’s National Chairman.

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n a recent interview on Nigeria Info FM, Segun Sowunmi, a prominent chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), revealed that he would have taken drastic steps against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, had he been the party’s National Chairman.

Sowunmi, a former spokesperson for PDP’s ex-presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, stated that he would have frozen Wike’s membership, effectively sidelining him from party activities, if Wike had accepted an offer to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a minister.

Also read: PDP urged to sanction Nyesom Wike for party discipline and national stability

Sowunmi explained that, in his view, joining the ruling APC would warrant similar treatment to that given to university lecturers going on sabbatical.

said: “When you are on sabbatical, your membership is frozen, and when you return, it’s activated.”

According to him, had he been the National Chairman, he would have applied this same principle to Wike’s situation, which would have meant that the former governor of Rivers State would have been unable to participate in PDP affairs while in the APC.

Sowunmi added that Wike, if still in the PDP after joining the cabinet, would not have been allowed to hold any authority within the party, especially in Rivers State.

“By freezing his membership, that means you can’t be in charge of the party’s structure either in Rivers or anywhere. You can’t attend our meetings,” he stated.

Beyond Wike, Sowunmi also expressed discontent with the leadership of Atiku Abubakar, particularly in light of recent remarks by some of Atiku’s loyalists suggesting that the PDP is a dying party.

He said that, had he been in charge, he would have delivered a stern message to Atiku, urging him to take responsibility for the party’s state.

“If I were the National Chairman, right now I would have been very hard on Atiku by sending him a very clear message—call your dogs to order,” Sowunmi said, referring to Atiku’s supporters and their remarks about the party’s struggles.

Sowunmi’s comments reflect growing tensions within the PDP, as the party grapples with leadership issues and internal divisions.

His critique of Wike’s defection to the APC and Atiku’s handling of the party’s affairs highlights the dissatisfaction among certain factions within the PDP.

Sowunmi stressed that a political party with a future must adopt a firm stance when it comes to its members’ loyalty and actions.

He emphasized that allowing members to defect to a rival party while retaining their status and influence within the original party is a strategic mistake that would undermine the party’s credibility and cohesion.

His comments also serve as a call for stronger leadership and discipline within the PDP as it seeks to regain its footing in Nigeria’s political landscape.

The fallout from Wike’s defection and the ongoing crisis within the PDP are likely to continue dominating political discourse in the coming months, as party members and supporters await further developments.