The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Nyesom Wike, has offered a staunch legal defense for the Peoples Democratic Party’s decision to establish a 13-member caretaker committee, framing it as an obligatory move mandated by the expiration of party offices and binding court judgments.
Wike, a former PDP governor and a key figure in its recent internal crisis, made these remarks during his year-end media chat in Port Harcourt on Monday.
A Constitutional and Legal Imperative
Wike argued that the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) was left with no alternative after the tenure of the previous national officers lapsed.
“NEC had no choice. If the executive has expired, somebody must run the affairs of the party,” he stated, positioning the caretaker committee as a necessary administrative bridge.
The minister anchored his argument on judicial authority, questioning the tactics of opposing party factions. He specifically faulted attempts to use interim court orders to challenge the NEC’s decision.
“How can an ex-parte order override two substantive judgments of the Federal High Court?” he asked, implying that the caretaker committee’s establishment had a firmer legal foundation.
Backing INEC’s Stance on Due Process
Wike also expressed support for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which declined to recognize a national convention held by a rival faction within the PDP.
“INEC was not part of that so-called convention, and INEC was right,” he said, endorsing the electoral umpire’s insistence on strict adherence to due process and party guidelines.
Context: The Latest in a Series of Rebukes
This defense is the latest in a series of pointed critiques Wike has leveled at the PDP’s internal management over the past week. In earlier segments of the same media chat, he:
· Accused party leaders of destroying the PDP through “selfish ambition.”
· Denied allegations of promising to “hold” the party for President Bola Tinubu.
· Explained that the split of the G5 governors was based on the political principle of zoning.
· Blasted unnamed party actors for treating politics like a “contract business” devoid of grassroots structure.
An Ongoing Battle for Legitimacy
By justifying the caretaker committee on constitutional and legal grounds, Wike seeks to portray his faction’s actions as the legitimate, rule-based path forward. Conversely, he frames the opposition’s reliance on ex-parte orders and disputed conventions as procedural failures.
The establishment of the caretaker committee remains a central point of contention in the PDP’s unresolved leadership crisis, with legal battles likely to continue as the party struggles to reorganize.
