…Says ‘Nobody Will Use Us To Negotiate’
Toyin Adebayo, Abuja
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Friday, declared that the court judgment nullifying the planned Peoples Democratic Party National Convention has reaffirmed the supremacy of the rule of law over impunity.
Wike, who spoke during a meeting with PDP members in Abuja, described the ruling as a “wise and courageous decision” and a turning point in the struggle to restore internal democracy in the opposition party.
His declaration was met with thunderous applause from party faithful at the meeting.
In a fiery address, the former Rivers State governor declared, “Nobody will use us to negotiate for anything. Nobody. Nobody will use us to negotiate. No. We are part of this stage, and we cannot allow that.”
Wike commended PDP loyalists who stood firm despite intimidation, saying, “Some of us have seen people, the moment they threaten you, the moment they send you texts on social media about how they will kill you, you change. But you stood firm to say no, we will not allow this injustice.”
The minister did not mince words in criticizing the party’s leadership, stating that arrogance and disregard for due process had brought the PDP to its current state.
“Leadership is very key in everything you are doing. When people become arrogant to say that nobody matters, when they fail to recognize those who have sustained this party, then such leadership does not mean well for the PDP,” Wike stated.
He expressed both satisfaction and disappointment with recent developments, noting, “I am happy that we have fought impunity, but I am sad that our party is going down due to poor leadership choices.”
Wike emphasized that opposition politics cannot thrive on lawlessness, stating, “There’s no opposition party in the world that survives on arrogance and lawlessness. The essence of opposition is to wrestle power from the ruling party, but you can’t do that if you disregard your own rules.”
The FCT minister reaffirmed his commitment to remain in the PDP, declaring, “We are not leaving this party. We will be inside and fight for justice to prevail. Many thought money would buy everything, but some of us can never be bought.”
He urged PDP governors to use their resources to strengthen the party rather than destroy it, saying, “The money available in states now was never available before. I expect them to use the money to provide infrastructure and reduce unemployment, not to destroy the party.”
Wike concluded with a message of conditional openness to reconciliation, stating, “We are still open to discussion and reconciliation, but no one should think they can blackmail us into submission. We will continue to stand for what is right.”
