The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday told party members to get ready for a tough political fight before the 2027 general elections.

Wike said that political power is not given easily; it has to be fought for, sacrificed for, and worked hard for.

He spoke at the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, 109th National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja, where he he said opposition politics needs strength, good organization, and strong will.

He warned that the party won’t get back to power by relying on luck or just hoping for it.

Using his own political experiences, Wike encouraged candidates not to let pressure, arrests, or legal challenges stop them, saying that political achievements are usually made through facing difficulties.

“Nobody gives power. Power is taken. You have to struggle for it in order to get it. No one gives power, and no one is willing to take it away from you.

“You have to struggle for it. You have to fight for it. “You don’t need to be scared,” Wike said.

The former governor of Rivers State said that even though there are still disagreements within the party and some court cases going on, the PDP is still moving forward with its plans for the election and won’t let legal issues stop them.

“From my point of view, June 26 is the day they will provide the access code to political parties so they can upload the results. Don’t worry, we are good to go.

“No one is scared of the court; courts are for real people, not for ghosts,” he said.

Wike noted that many party members were still having trouble adjusting to life without power, since they had been used to the benefits of being in charge for a long time.

He emphasized that getting back into politics would need a new way of thinking.

“So most of you used to come and take from PDP whenever they were in power, like spoiled children who relied on whatever their father gave them every day.

“It seems your father is sick right now, and there’s no one else to take care of things. You’re thinking that the whole world has come to an end,” he said.

A chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Chief Sylvester Ugochinyere Eze, has taken swipes at Sir Chinyeaka Ohaa and other leaders of the party for abandoning the NDC candidate in last Saturday’s bye-election in Enugu North senatorial district.

In a statement made available to journalists in Nsukka on Wednesday, Chief Eze said although what happened on June 20 didn’t qualify to be described as an election, the NDC candidate, Bishop Oscar Okwudili Ossai, could have lost in a free and fair poll because he received little support from his party’s presumed governorship candidate Sir Chinyeaka Ohaa and others.

“There was no time for campaigns,” he said, “but even for the three or four days to the election, Ohaa was not seen anywhere in Nsukka zone. Not even at the mega rally of June 18 that Peter Obi was expected.”

He added that Ossai needed endorsements from notable NDC gladiators.

“His opponent in the bye-election had the backing of Government House which had access to unlimited funds. But important personalities in his party were all over him at campaign rallies. The NDC candidate didn’t enjoy similar support.

“Even on the election eve, a critical period, Ohaa was said to have held a meeting in his house in Enugu, and he invited all NDC aspirants to the meeting. His intention, then, was to frustrate his party’s candidate in the bye-election, since these key personalities who were supposed to rally round him were all drawn to Enugu, thus abandoning the scene of action in Nsukka zone. Perhaps Ohaa is working for his friend in APC.

“If Ohaa were seeking his party’s victory in the Enugu North bye-election, he could have helped to abort some rigging antics of the APC. We got information that ballot papers were being thumb-printed in several places and result sheets had been diverted on Friday night.

“An intervention from a key candidate like Ohaa could have reversed the crime. But nobody saw him anywhere. If he becomes our governorship candidate, will he not campaign in the Nsukka area?” He queried.

On the conduct of the bye-election, Eze alleged it was a charade.

“INEC ad-hoc officials were almost all APC members. The police, forest guards, civil defence and others were all working for APC.

“It wasn’t strange, therefore, that all of them collaborated to manufacture 163,000 votes in favour of the APC candidate. It was manual voting everywhere — I didn’t even see BVAS in my own area. So, without BVAS accreditation why won’t they post fictitious results?” He asked.

Asked about his ward Eze said he’s from Ejuona/Uwani ward in Nsukka LGA and that many of his people did not even know there was an election that day. “Only a few people actually voted, but later we heard that our 17 polling units gathered more than 5,000 votes. Miracles do happen!”

A member of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Aisha Yesufu, on Wednesday disclosed that she begged former Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, to be the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi’s running mate four years ago.

Yesufu, who noted that some things take longer than they should, vowed never to be distracted in her support for Obi and Kwankwaso.

Posting on X, the activist wrote: “Some things in life take longer than they should. Like the saying goes, better late than never.

“4 years ago I literally begged @KwankwasoRM to be Peter Obi’s running mate.

“Now that it is happening, you think I am going to be distracted? No way. Let’s get it done.”