2027: I Don’t Do “Night Dealings”, My Friendship With Wike  Not Tinubu’s Endorsement — Wike

By Rotela Oguns

A former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has stated that he’s a straightforward person who is not given to double-dealing stressing that engaging in what he described as “night dealings” is antithetical to his political style.

The former Kwara State governor noted that his friendship with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Nyesom Wike, should not be mistaken for approval for Tinubu’s reelection bid adding that rebuilding the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2027 general elections is of paramount importance to him.

Saraki spoke on Thursday night on Channels Television ‘Politics Today’ clarifying his position on many issues the PDP is grappling with ahead of the party’s convention.

“I’m not somebody that says things I’m not going to do… I don’t… I don’t do things at night, I’m not a night person. If I’m going to do something, I come, I stick my chest out. This is where I’m going,” he said.

He added,, “You can’t extrapolate that. My friendship is based on what we are going to do about this party.

“I found his style, his views might be different, but that PDP must not die. PDP must be able to provide a platform for people to contest elections. That, I do not in any way doubt, is the sincerity where he stands, that’s where I stand.”

While emphasizing the need to resolve the crisis bedeviling the PDP, Saraki added that strengthening the party and ensuring legitimacy in its forthcoming convention and primaries should be prioritized.

He noted that the first step towards building a strong party was settling the rift between the two factions in the opposition party so that members aspiring for different positions would be confident to contest on its platform.

“If truly we don’t love PDP, we can go to another party to contest. Even in my state, people tell me they want to contest, I say, what are you doing there? You’re wasting your time…

“That is why some of us are excited that if we can push through with this reconciliation, get our convention done this weekend, Sunday, Monday, have it attended by INEC, have the legitimacy of that convention, by which people are now confident,” he said.

The PDP has been grappling with protracted internal crisis which has polarised the party. Wike, who is a serving minister in the Tinubu administration, has refused to resigned his membership of the party.

The minister has declared his support for Tinubu’s reelection bid on several occasions.

Wike is leading a faction of the party while Seyi Makinde, the governor of Oyo State is calling the shots in the opposing faction.

The PDP held a convention last year which produced Kabiru Turaki as the party’s chairman. Turaki and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) will be in office for four years.

Meanwhile, in a dramatic twist to the crisis in the party, days after the Ibadan convention, Wike formed a 13-member caretaker committee, naming Abdulrahman as acting national chairman and Anyanwu as acting national secretary, among others, with a 60-day mandate.