- Safiu Kehinde
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed the Supreme Court’s ruling upholding the suspension of Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) factional National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu; National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN), and other leaders of the faction.
Wike maintained that the Abuja National Convention held in March, which was also reportedly nullified by the apex court, had lifted the suspension imposed on them by the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the party.
The FCT minister affirmed that the conduct of the convention which saw Anyanwu and Ajibade re-elected remains valid.
He made this know while addressing newsmen on Thursday evening in Abuja.
Reflecting on the apex court’s ruling, the minister maintained that the fact that Anyanwu and Ajibade contested during the convention implied that their suspension were already lifted by the party.
“Anyanwu was not the subject matter in the case before the Court of Appeal.
“Assuming, though not conceding, that Samuel Anyanwu and Ajibade were suspended by the other group called Turaki group, our convention was held and we said look, all these people suspended, we have brought them back. It is the party.
“Assuming the party suspended you and the party said we have lifted the suspension. So, it is neither here nor there.
“If they were suspended, why would the party elect them at the national convention?
“Okay let’s say that they were suspended, however, for the party to have allowed them to contest in the national convention means that the party has lifted their suspension. There is nothing to bother yourself about. ” He said.
Wike further recalled that disciplinary committee’s recommendation of Anyanwu’s suspension.
The FCT Minister claimed the recommendation was not ratified,
“If you have lost a matter, you have lost a matter. Look at when they said FCT High Court agreed with the suspension of Samuel Anyanwu, you and I know that it was not correct.
“When these people went to set up disciplinary committee to say that these people committed so and so offence, Anyanwu went to court to say look, stop them from sitting.
“And court said look, as far as we are concerned, you cannot stop them from sitting to carry out their duties as given to them by the national executive committee of the party.
“The committee was led by Chief Tom Ikimi and he recommended for their suspension.
“The FCT Court cannot say we stand by the suspension. Which suspension? There was no suspension.
“Agreed that the court threw away Samuel Anyanwu’s suit challenging the setup of that disciplinary committee and the disciplinary committee came up with a report that they should be suspended or expelled, I have no problem about that.
“But nobody ratified it. Assuming it was ratified, the same party have said we have forgiven you. We have set aside that report. Come and contest election and they contested election in the national convention, and they were voted and won. ” Wike said.
He continued that if the suspension recommendation had been ratified, the Abuja convention already nullified it.
Wike reiterated that the Abuja convention has come to stay following the Supreme Court’s nullification of the Ibadan convention.
He affirmed the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led leadership, declaring an event held by the Turaki faction without the consent of Abdulrahman as anti-party.
“So, the issue of suspension no longer arises. All these trying to pick something from here, Turaki faction has lost. Why they cannot come back.
“It is anti-party for them to be saying they are doing opposition meeting. They cannot go without the party’s instruction- the party led by Abdulrahman.
“Nobody can set aside the convention again. They have tried to set it aside by saying that their own convention was right.
“But you heard what the Supreme Court had said that you decided to disobey court’s order instead of you appealling against the judgement of Omotosho.
“All they did was to go to the State High Court in Ibadan that has no jurisdiction with the Federal High Court to give you that Amala order at the court. As far as I’m concerned, everythig has been nullified and set aside.
“The convention of PDP and the election of Abdulrahman have come to stay.” He added.