The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has laid down fresh conditions that must be met before the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) can proceed with its planned national convention—a move he insists is crucial for resolving the party’s deepening crisis.
Speaking during a media briefing, Wike reaffirmed his loyalty to the PDP but warned that lasting peace would only come if the party upholds the resolutions made during the South-South zonal congress in Calabar. Failure to do so, he cautioned, could plunge the party into another round of turmoil ahead of its November convention.
“If they want another round of crisis, so be it. That congress moved that Chief Dan Orbih emerged as the National Vice Chairman South-south of the party. The court allowed it for then congress to hold and the congress was held. The so called acting National Chairman of the Party went and wrote a letter to INEC.
“The congress was held on Saturday on the 15th and he went and wrote a letter on the 8th, for example, that the Congress had been postponed. Chief Dan Orbih is the National Vice Chairman of PDP, South-south. If they don’t agree, that is another round of crisis.
“Two, the south-east congress which produced Chief Ali Odefa as the National Vice Chairman cannot stand because the court had affirmed that Odefa is no longer a member of the party.
“That is what I told the people that I cannot allow impunity and will fight it until they correct it. There is time for them to resolve before we talk of convention. If it is not resolved that is invitation to crisis,” Wike warned.
Wike announced on Monday that the emergency rule in Rivers State would soon end, confirming that President Bola Tinubu has no plans to extend the measure. His assurance followed Tinubu’s directive for local council elections to be conducted within 30 days—a drastic reduction from the initially proposed 360-day timeline.
The FCT minister also took aim at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, branding him a “serial defector” with no political consistency. He further revealed that the six-month state of emergency in Rivers could be lifted imminently, paving the way for democratic governance under the supervision of the state administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas.
Wike emphasized that extending emergency rule would be against the interests of Rivers people and reaffirmed Ibas’ constitutional mandate to oversee the polls and restore grassroots democracy.
Attacking Atiku, he said political dissent ran in the bloodstream of Atiku, who is one of the masterminds of the coalition against the re-election bid of President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
“You can’t change it. Atiku was in PDP in 1999. Have you forgotten? Under Obasanjo he had problem. Then he later joined ACN controlled by Bola Tinubu, who is incidentally the president now.
“After ACN, he came back to PDP. Is that not correct? Then what happened? He moved back to APC. From APC again, he came back to PDP – just to get presidential ticket every time! From PDP now, he has gone to ADC again.
“Kai, let me tell you something. If I am his son, I will sit him down and say ‘dad, whatever it is, how can you tell me as your son. You have made this history of jumping from one party till you are almost 80 something years. How?” he said.
Wike also dismissed insinuations that Atiku’s defection to ADC was premised on the urge to rescue Nigeria, saying he was the vice-president for eight years and Chairman of National Economic Council under President Obasanjo.
He further derided Atiku and other coalition leaders, saying they joined APC because they could no longer exert their authority in the PDP.
“All this had to do with presidential ambition. The way PDP is now, is not likely that Atiku will get the ticket and he is no longer comfortable. Then he goes to tell you, ‘let’s go and do coalition against Tinubu’. Is it not correct? It is because he cannot get the Presidential ticket under PDP,” Wike said.
He similarly descended on the interim National Chairman of ADC, Senator David Mark, saying the pressure to impose Mark as the National Chairman of PDP, representing North Central was rejected when it was mooted before the crisis that led to the defeat of PDP in the 2023 election.
Wike said: “We refused. What change would he bring to the party? He was the Senate President for eight years. What happened? What improved? I have said I preferred someone who had not held any position.
“I would not listen to anybody who has been in power for donkey years and who has refused to contribute anything to the development of the country. And now, you come to tell me this story that ‘look, we need to rescue this country’. You were there the country was sinking. Did you rescue it?”
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