National Convention: PDP Rejects Wike’s Conditions

Nyesom Wike, the former governor of Rivers State and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), was informed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday that no one could demand anything from the party ahead of its National Convention, which is set for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Recall that Wike recently said in a media talk in Abuja that even if the PDP crisis is currently over, if the party does not acknowledge the zonal congress that elected Chief Dan Orbih as the National Vice Chairman, South-South, then another round of crises will begin.

There will be another crisis unless his illness is resolved, Wike had added, adding, “They said that they are going for their convention in November.” I won’t participate until they fix it. Let’s wait; they have time to fix the problem. Fix the problem before you discuss convention. Should the issue remain unresolved, a catastrophe will ensue.

“PDP has not, and will not even take condition from anybody, who will follow that constitution anyway,” stated Hon. Debo Ologunagba, the National Publicity Secretary, in response to these threats during a media-interaction session. Our South-South Zonal Caretaker Committee has been operating as such.

The party warned that if anyone violates or disobeys, the party will have no choice but to employ its Constitution. The party informed its members that the PDP expects 100% of them.

According to the party, loyalty is a personal matter, but in a gathering like this, we have stated that we expect it. In the event that we discover that you fail to provide it, the constitution will take effect. I took care of that earlier.

“We expect all of our members to be totally loyal. We have made that announcement. That claim is effective. That is where we are at the moment.

Regarding the Minister’s claim that the PDP or party governors had petitioned the court to have the state of emergency in Rivers State revoked but had not pursued the case, Ologunagba stated, “if a case is filed, there are processes.” I work as a lawyer. Hearing notices will be sent out. In that case, I am not. I am acquainted with the governors of the party that brought the case. One might inquire as to whether the Supreme Court has included it on its list. We will receive a notice of hearing if it has been listed. Hearing notice—I don’t know…”

He added: “Let me tell you something again. You see, having a lot of noise does not equate to having knowledge.

The party is currently concentrating on its planned National Convention in Ibadan, according to Ologunagba.

“Our national convention is our main focus,” he stated. We let the proceedings proceed if there are cases pending in court. And I’m not saying that they’re not doing a good job of pursuing it. If so, there is what is known as “lack of diligent prosecution” in the legal system. If you believe that the individual who filed the lawsuit won’t adequately prosecute the case, you know what to do.

He highlighted the party’s stance on the lawmakers who joined the APC, stating, “One of the decisions that we took as a party was, we directed the Legal Adviser to take steps to retrieve those positions, because constitutionally they’ve lost them by reason of their defection when there’s no division in our party.”

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Speaking further about party loyalty and the reasons members shouldn’t leave, Ologunagba stated, “We will not tolerate disloyalty to this party.” We’re asking for complete and utter loyalty. We expect that from our members.

It would be a voyage of no discovery, therefore if somebody wants to quit the party—which we hope they don’t—they should stay here instead, as this is the only political party where you can fulfill your ambitions.

Naturally, 90% of those who have left got their training in the PDP. As a result, it indicates that PDP has something special. We therefore invite anyone who wishes to return.

Some were removed out of rage. Now that we’re strong and steady, we’re working toward the National Convention, even though some people were misinformed. We are ready and willing to return at this time. The party, however, will not tolerate disloyalty. It will be fantastic. We also insist on it. We intend to enforce it. We will make advantage of our constitution.

Speaking about the party’s stance on the South-South congresses, Ologunagba stated that the party had already established a caretaker committee that was operating, adding, “What we did was to set up, in line with the provisions of the party constitution, set up a caretaker committee, Zonal Caretaker Committee for the South-South, headed by Elder Emma Ogidi.”

Ologunagba responded to reports that Peter Obi and Goodluck Jonathan might run for president under the PDP in 2027 by saying he doesn’t speculate and that the party has a number of capable governors who are eligible to serve as president.

“This party has a lot of very qualified, extremely qualified, and capable governors who can become the nation’s president,” he stated. You want to know if Jonathan is contesting, so ask him. I’m not President Jonathan’s spokesperson. Ask him. Ask him. I have no right to conjecture. Why you’re asking that question is beyond me. Ask Obi.