- Safiu Kehinde
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has explained reasons behind agitation against the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) planned National Convention.
Wike, who had overtime been at odd against the party leadership, was again accused of orchestrating the discord within the party.
NPO earlier Reported the PDP’s Board of Trustees (BoT) dismissal of alleged forgery of the party’s National Secretary’s, Samuel Anyawu, signature on the correspondence transmitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) regarding the party’s forthcoming elective convention.
This had again brought to limelight, the division within the party.
Reacting to his alleged involvement in the plot to frustrate the party’s effort in holding the convention, Wike, in a media parley held of Friday, slammed the PDP.
He held that the alleged sidelining of members, especially the southeast zone, is responsible for the division within the party and may likely lead to the stalling of the convention if due process is not followed.
Wike also pointed at the party’s failure in holding congress in several states.
This, according to the FCT Minister, denies the affected states opportunity to participate in the convention.
“If it happens in the West, it is me. If it happens in the North it is me. When you take the wrong step, you will achieve nothing.
“You go and take a decision and then you sideline certain people, what do you expect to have? You have a faction. It’s that not embarrassing. Why are you not following due process for the National Convention.
“Look at the crop of leaders we have in the governors’ forum. Is it abusing Wike is the matter now? No. You have abused and called me names. What is the result today?
“What are you doing that did not want the convention to hold? If you do the right thing, will anybody challenge the convention?
“People think that are too smart. You have not done your congresses of those who will participate in that convention.
All you are interested in is let’s go and do convention. You want to deny so many states of participating in the convention and we say look, you cannot do that.
“In Anambra, there is no executive committee. In Ebonyi, there is none. Southeast, there is none.
“What I’m saying is do the right thing so that we can come out with a good convention.” Wike said.
The Minister further criticised the PDP Governors Forum for excluding him from key decisions, warning that the party risks collapse if it persists with this approach.
“Have I not said it before now that the booby trap you are setting will consume you? The way these present governors are doing, they will bury this party.” He said.
Wike reportedly questioned why his exclusion was justified simply because he no longer holds a governorship position.
“I am the FCT Minister. Are you telling me that because I am not a governor, you will hold a PDP stakeholders’ meeting and exclude me, and then expect the party to survive?” he asked.