Abuja, Nigeria – Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has taken aim at former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, asserting that the ex-presidential hopeful lacked the courage to navigate internal party crises. Wike made the comments on Sunday during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2026 National Convention at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
The minister drew parallels between Obi’s departure from the Labour Party and recent defections of PDP governors to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), arguing that both demonstrated a lack of leadership qualities.
Addressing party delegates, Wike emphasised that true leadership demands courage, firmness, and commitment. “Leadership is not an easy task. Leadership requires courage. Leadership requires firmness. Leadership requires commitment,” he said, urging PDP members to uphold these values amid political challenges.
He compared the governors who recently left the PDP with Obi, suggesting that both groups failed to display the resilience required of leaders. “What you see that has happened, the faction of some governors who have left have only shown you they lack the leadership traits. I liken them to the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party,” Wike said.
Focusing on Obi, Wike argued that the Labour Party provided him with a platform to pursue his presidential ambition, which he allegedly abandoned when confronted with internal party challenges. “The presidential candidate of the Labour Party before wanted to be president. And they gave him a platform. When crisis came in the Labour Party, it was required for him to show leadership. He ran away because he could not solve problems,” Wike stated.
He further drew a connection with PDP governors, claiming that both groups failed to show vision and courage when faced with political turbulence. “This is to tell you those who can stand when there are crises,” Wike added.
Peter Obi, who came third in the 2023 presidential election behind President Bola Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in 2025. Since then, he has become a prominent figure in a rising opposition coalition on the ADC platform, alongside Atiku, ex-Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and former Rivers Governor Rotimi Amaechi, all positioning themselves to challenge Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
