Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, former Vice Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has said the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, may have valid reasons for his actions amid the ongoing leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Tuesday, Baba-Ahmed said Wike was unfairly treated by the PDP despite his sacrifices to keep the party strong when others abandoned it.
He revealed that a close friend of Wike betrayed him during the party’s presidential primary in 2022, describing the incident as a turning point in Wike’s relationship with the PDP.
“You see, all the things that Wike is doing, I don’t agree with them, but he is justified to an extent,” Baba-Ahmed said. “Right at Eagle Square, in front of the whole world, someone he trusted stabbed him in the back at the most critical moment.”
Although he didn’t name anyone directly, it was widely believed he was referring to the fallout between Wike and PDP leaders over the party’s presidential ticket, which eventually went to Atiku Abubakar, with Ifeanyi Okowa picked as running mate—moves that Wike saw as betrayal.
Baba-Ahmed suggested that Wike felt betrayed not only politically but also personally, especially considering the long-standing friendships and alliances he had built in the party.
“As far as he’s concerned, these are two northerners, two Hausa-Fulani Muslims who cheated him,” Baba-Ahmed added. “Whoever is treated that way will definitely fight back. It was not fair.”
He also warned politicians against acts of betrayal, saying such actions could lead to long-term consequences for party unity and survival.
Baba-Ahmed further hinted that if left unresolved, the situation could worsen, saying, “He (Wike) will destroy the party. He’s a human being.”
The PDP has been battling internal divisions since its 2022 presidential primary. Wike, who came second in the primaries, was widely expected to emerge as the party’s vice-presidential candidate but was overlooked in favour of Delta State’s Ifeanyi Okowa. Since then, Wike has remained a key critic of the PDP leadership and has aligned himself with the ruling APC, where he currently serves as FCT Minister under President Bola Tinubu.
