By Sarah NEGEDU
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday took a swipe at the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, accusing its national leadership of overstepping its powers and deepening the crisis within the party.
Speaking during the commissioning of the Wole Soyinka Way Interchange Bridge in Abuja, Wike faulted the acting National Chairman of the PDP, Umar Damagum, for directing the party’s National Secretary to resume duties.
He described the move as an act of ignorance, saying, “I watched on national television. Even though this is not a political rally, but anyhow, it is still politics. I heard it when the acting National Chairman of PDP was directing the National Secretary to resume.
“National Secretary is not your appointee. So you can’t call him to resume. Because of the illegalities that you perpetrate and that you don’t show leadership, that is where you put yourself where you are. It is nobody’s making.”
Wike, who is still a member of the PDP, accused the opposition party of shooting itself in the foot by ignoring legal precedent and operating without proper internal checks.
“It is because of your ignorance of the law. Too bad, too bad. The law does not recognize ignorance. That you are ignorant of the law is not an excuse,” he said.
He also condemned the party’s decision to approach the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for direction on implementing a Supreme Court judgment, saying such action was “most unfortunate.”
“When you don’t know something, ask the right person. Don’t because of ego, don’t because of, ‘Oh, I’m receiving monthly allocation’. Money does not solve all the problems. If e didn’t dey, e dey didn’t dey. There is nothing you can do about it.”
Shortly after Wike’s remarks, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who represented President Bola Tinubu at the commissioning, echoed Wike’s criticism of the state of the opposition.
He said the crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party was not isolated, noting that the Labour Party was also grappling with internal fractures.
He said President Tinubu, as a true democrat, was concerned about the absence of a credible opposition, which he believed was necessary for a healthy democracy.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, is very interested in seeing a vibrant opposition. It saddens him when he sees the way the opposition in Nigeria is in disarray,” Akpabio said.
“So it’s not only PDP that is in disarray. Even the Labour Party is cracked. And people who are strong members of the Labour Party are angling to run Nigeria when they cannot put a small political party like that in order.”
Akpabio confirmed the defection of Senator Neda Imasuen from the Labour Party to the All Progressives Congress just hours before the event, describing it as further evidence of instability within the opposition ranks.
According to him, “Senator Neda Imasuen just decamped this afternoon from the Labour Party and moved from the left-hand side in the Senate to the right-hand side. So that took my time. I had to do that ritual. I’m not tired. I’m happy to receive them because our doors are open in the All-Progressive Congress. So congratulations to Imasuen who has decided to leave the fractured Labour Party to join the APC.”
Akpabio also hailed the Tinubu administration for driving massive infrastructure across the FCT, crediting the transformation to what he described as “rare leadership.”
“What is happening in the FCT is what people would say even the blind can see. The blind would notice potholes on the roads. FCT has turned around. We are very proud of what is happening here,” he said.
Wike, in his remarks, said the completion of the interchange bridge located along Arterial Road N20 across the Outer Northern Expressway, was a product of President Tinubu’s directive that impactful, economy-boosting projects be prioritised, even if they predated his administration.
“This job was awarded in 2020, but because of the directive of you, Mr. President, that every project that will have positive impact on the lives and economy of our people must be given priority attention, we took it seriously,” he said.
He used the occasion to defend the credibility of the Tinubu administration’s record in the capital.
“I’ve always said, let anybody challenge the FCT Administration that all these roads and projects we commissioned, that any previous administration completed it and we came to take over. If you know, for the past few years, since 2010 till 2023, there are projects we are commissioning that you say you had finished, please do us a favour by coming out to say so. I know nobody would say that.”
Also speaking, FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, credited President Bola Tinubu for the administration’s numerous achievements, and applauded him for his visionary leadership and commitment to infrastructural development.
“This project stands as a testament to his dedication to improving the transportation network and easing the daily commute of millions of Nigerians,” she said.
