Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said that his faction within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will continue its internal fight to ensure justice prevails, following a court judgement that restrained the party from proceeding with its planned National Convention slated for November in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Wike, while addressing a gathering of Concerned PDP Stakeholders at his official residence in Life Camp, Abuja, on Friday evening, launched an attack on the party’s national leadership, accusing it of impunity, financial misconduct, and a disregard for the party’s laws.
The meeting was convened hours after a court ruling effectively halted the party’s planned convention, a decision the minister described as a wise and good vindication of his group’s struggle.
“We are not going to abandon this party, but we are going to be inside and fight for justice to prevail,” Wike said.
The minister, who accused the PDP leadership of failing to recognise the contributions of key members and operating with ‘unprecedented arrogance’, lambasted the current leadership style, comparing it to a negligent shepherd.
“I have never seen a shepherd who would come by saying, ‘I don’t care where any of my sheep are.’ God, no, I don’t care. You must go and look for one. Where is my sheep? Where did he go to? Come back,” he said.
The FCT minister detailed the legal grounds for their challenge, citing violations of the Nigerian Constitution, the Electoral Act, and the PDP’s own constitution.
“If you don’t follow the law, then there’s nothing we can do. It’s unfortunate that the National Convention cannot hold,” he said.
He claimed that a few individuals were hijacking the party’s processes for personal gain.
“Few people will sit in their houses and zone positions and put the funds in their pockets. It has never been bad like this in the People’s Democratic Party. It has never been.
“On one part, it is one of my happiest days. On one part, it is one of my saddest days. We are happy that we have fought impunity on their part. We are not happy the way our party is going down,” he said.
The minister emphasised that the fight was not about personal interests but about principle.
The former Rivers State governor also took a swipe at PDP governors, whom he accused of failing to build a united front, recalling his time as a governor when, under the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, they resisted attempts to break the party.
“Leadership is very key in everything you are doing. When people become arrogant to say that nobody matters, when people do not recognise the role played by individuals in sustaining the party we have today, then such leadership do not mean well for the party,” he said.
Wike advised the governors to use state funds for development rather than for fighting within the party.
“I expect them to use the money the president has made available to the states to provide infrastructure, and not to use the money to kill our party. We will not agree.
“We are still open to discussion. But to think that he will blackmail us to succumb, we will not do that.
“You may not know what you have done. It is not easy, the moment they send you text on social media, how they will kill you, you change. But you stood firm,” Wike told his supporters.
