Wike Lacks Integrity to Judge Obi’s PDP Return – Peter Ameh

Speaking on Daily Politics on Trust TV, Ameh lambasted Wike, a former Rivers State governor, for challenging Obi’s sincerity. He pointed to Wike’s own record of broken promises, including his pledge never to serve as a minister, his claim that joining the All Progressives Congress (APC) was about seeking forgiveness, and his vow to remain loyal to the PDP while openly campaigning against it in past elections. 

“Wike said he’d never be a minister, yet he is one under Tinubu. He vowed to stand by PDP but worked against it. What moral standing does he have to stop Obi?” Ameh questioned.

Ameh stressed that Obi, a former PDP vice-presidential candidate and current Labour Party member, has the constitutional right under Section 40 to join any political party.

He noted that many PDP leaders are actively courting Obi’s return due to his widespread influence, arguing that the party’s survival beyond 2027 depends on credible figures like him. 

“Reducing PDP to Wike’s whims is political suicide,” Ameh warned.While Obi remains a registered Labour Party member, Ameh revealed that discussions on coalitions and alliances are underway across opposition platforms. 

“Obi’s national appeal is why multiple parties want him. That’s a problem for APC, not Wike,” he added. 

“Any party serious about surviving beyond 2027 must put discipline in its ranks and present credible candidates. Without Obi, PDP risks irrelevance,” Ameh warned.

On Obi’s recent pledge to serve only one term if elected president, Ameh said it was a deliberate commitment to restore trust in leadership and respect Nigeria’s tradition of silent power rotation. 

“Four years is enough for a leader with competence and discipline. Tinubu destroyed this economy in just two years. Obi’s promise is about integrity. He wants to show Nigerians that leaders can make a promise and keep it,” he explained.

Speaking further on the upcoming 2027 general election, he indicated that President Bola Tinubu is heading for a crushing defeat as hunger, poverty and disillusionment sweep across Nigeria.

Chief Ameh, a close ally of Obi, dismissed the APC’s string of off-cycle victories as “illusions of strength,” arguing that manipulated by-elections cannot mask the deep anger on the streets.

“Governors dominated those elections. PDP won nearly all the by-elections before 2015 but lost the presidency. The same mistake is being made today. Nigerians are not smiling; they are waiting anxiously for 2027 to vote Tinubu out,” he declared.

Ameh warned that the APC is relying on “false comfort” from recent by-election and council poll victories, insisting they are poor indicators of national popularity.

“Governors dominate off-cycle elections and manipulate outcomes. That’s why you see APC or PDP win 100 per cent in their states. In 2015, PDP won almost all by-elections, yet it lost the presidency. What happened then will happen again in 2027,” Ameh said.

He dismissed APC’s claims of growing strength, arguing that the real verdict lies in the worsening economic realities Nigerians face daily.

“Hunger is on the streets. Over 30 million people have been pushed back into poverty. Even the Nigerian Bar Association conference in Enugu showed a consensus that Nigeria is worse off today than it was when Tinubu came into office. People are not smiling; they are waiting for 2027 to vote him out,” he stated.

Backing former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai’s recent warning that Tinubu might not even come third, Ameh argued that incumbency is no guarantee of victory.

“Ask Jonathan what happened in 2015. When Nigerians decide they have had enough, no state resources or security agencies can save an unpopular government,” he said.

Ameh further noted that young Nigerians, who now make up over half of the voter register, would be decisive in 2027. “Vote-buying thrives in rural areas with older voters. But the youth have seen how their parents’ futures were stolen. They are less likely to sell their votes,” he argued.

Ameh also accused Tinubu of being disconnected from citizens. “He travels abroad more than he engages Nigerians at home. A government that is truly performing doesn’t struggle to advertise itself; the people will speak for it. But today, Nigerians contest every claim the government makes. They live the reality of hyperinflation, hunger and insecurity daily,” he said.

With the countdown to 2027 already dominating political debate, Ameh insists the odds are stacking against APC: “Tinubu believes he can repeat 2023, but he is standing on quicksand. The streets are angry, the youth are mobilising, and the signs are clear — Nigerians are waiting to vote this government out.”