Wike: APC Not Responsible for PDP Troubles, Blames Opposition Party’s Governors

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja and Boluwatife Enome 

The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed claims that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is behind the ongoing crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying the opposition’s woes are entirely self-inflicted and worsened by the impunity of its governors.

Speaking during a media parley in Abuja yesterday, Wike described allegations against the APC as “rubbish,” insisting that arrogance, exclusion, and disregard for due process have weakened the once-strong opposition.

He condemned the governors for excluding major party stakeholders, including him from meetings, warning it would be hard for the party to survive. 

Wike said, “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”.

“Before now, as opposition, we didn’t need to act with impunity. Look, I’m an FCT minister for Christ’s sake, forget about whatever you think.

“Are you telling me as it is today, because I’m not a governor, you go and hold PDP meetings, you call them stakeholders, and then you exclude me, and then you want to survive?

“Look, assuming I’m not even an FCT minister, but the role I played in PDP till now, simply because I’m not a governor, I cannot be consulted in taking decisions of the party? Certainly not.

“So when you say, let me tell you, and I have told them, just mark it, all this one you are calling APC, calling this and that, rubbish. Is it the APC that is making you take the wrong decision?

 “You mean I will sit and then two, three people said because they are governors, they get too much allocation. Then you go and decide, and then you tell me, follow, follow who?

“When we were governors, why was it that no governor left? You see that we didn’t have problems? We fought to the chairman of the party. We’ve gone to the Supreme Court. You know that is why people didn’t leave.

“If they do the right thing, will anybody stall the convention? They have not done the congresses and other things that should be in place,” he said.

Wike also downplayed insinuations that the ruling APC was to blame for the internal crises rocking PDP, saying that the problems were self-inflicted.

He continued, “All these talks about APC are rubbish. Is it APC that makes you take wrong decisions? You mean two or three people because they are Governors and receive large allocations, will go and decide, and you tell me to follow? Follow who?”

He also directed his anger at the PDP leadership, accusing it of not doing the necessary groundwork on the forthcoming PDP national convention stated for Ibadan on November 15-16, The minister said: “If they do the right thing, will anybody stall the convention?” 

Wike also described the defection of Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, who was the Chairman of the PDP Convention Committee, as embarrassing.

“Have I not said that so many Governors will leave? Is this the first time you have heard me say so? It is very embarrassing. The Governor was the Chairman of the PDP Convention Committee.

“Diri was the Chairman of the Zoning Committee. Even though I knew from the beginning that they were all playing games. I knew from the beginning, I said it before. There is nothing I said that has not come to pass. Tell me one. This is very embarrassing.

 “With what is going on politically, PDP will continue to lose if there is no change. I know from the beginning that some PDP members are playing games. House that has died since. PDP did not do the right thing. They should follow due process to the national convention.

“If you think you will sideline people to hold the convention, it will not be possible. If a proper convention is to be held, I will attend, but if the convention is not a proper one, I will not attend.”