Thr governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Lagos governorship poll, Adedeji Doherty, has warned governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) against engaging in any alleged “gang-up” against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, urging them to step back and put Nigeria’s interest above political calculations ahead of the 2027 elections.
Doherty, who is also the PDP Southwest Chairman, said the unfolding political realignment ahead of 2027 required dialogue, accommodation and coalition rather than confrontation, arguing that the interests of President Bola Tinubu, Wike and the governors could be accommodated within a broader national framework.
He stated this on Friday in Ikeja at the Lagos airport during an interview with newsmen after returning from a foreign trip.
The PDP chieftain specifically appealed to governors who, according to him, had been persuaded to join the opposition against Wike to “retrace their steps”.
“I would like to call on the governors that have been swayed to accept, to join the gang-up against Governor Wike, that they should please retrace their steps,” Doherty said.
He argued that Nigeria should remain the priority for political leaders, saying the controversy surrounding Wike would become less significant if the governors focused on the larger national interest.
“First of all, with all due respect to the governors themselves, the most important thing that should be in the forefront is Nigeria. And once the governors see that Nigeria is in the forefront, then the issue of Wike would not even be an issue,” he said.
Doherty, who said he had known Tinubu for more than two decades, also made a case for a possible political understanding between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the PDP.
He questioned why political cooperation involving opposition parties could not be extended to the APC and PDP if such an arrangement was considered beneficial to the country.
“If there is a coalition between NDC and ADC and all the other political parties, why can’t there be that same coalition between PDP and APC?” he asked.
According to him, Wike’s position within the PDP and his reported support for Tinubu should be taken into consideration in the political calculations ahead of 2027.
Doherty said there should be “compensation,” interaction and coalition among political actors, describing such engagement as part of the changing political landscape in the country.
He also challenged governors to explain how additional funds accruing to states following the removal of fuel subsidy were being deployed to cushion the hardship experienced by citizens.
Doherty acknowledged that the naira reforms and subsidy removal had initially brought inflation and hardship, but said state governments should deploy available resources to ease the burden on residents.