Wike dismisses PDP Appeal Court claims, calls opponents ‘419ers’

By Omeiza Ajayi

ABUJA: Federal Capital Territory FCT minister, Nyesom Wike on Thursday dismissed, as fraudulent, claims by a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP that a Court of Appeal judgment had invalidated the high court decision recognizing the caretaker committee that produced the party’s current National Working Committee.

Describing those behind the claim as “419s of different types and forms”, Wike, who spoke with journalists after inspecting projects in Abuja, warned that a lawyer could face derobement over the matter, saying it was “unfortunate” that a legal practitioner would put out information different from what the court actually decided.

“When a lawyer will come out to give different information, different from what the court has said, it is really unfortunate. You went on appeal and they say your appeal is dismissed. If your appeal was upheld, then you would have said, oh, it is correct, your appeal was upheld. But they said your appeal is hereby dismissed. There is no life in it again. What it means is that you have lost and you have lost,” the minister said.

Wike argued that a dismissed appeal could not logically be presented as a victory, pointing out that the Appeal Court had itself noted that the convention in question had previously been nullified by the Supreme Court. “The appeal court said, look, we have nullified this convention before. The Supreme Court has nullified this convention before. What are we going to say again? So there’s no more live issue,” he said.

The minister challenged the faction to take their claims to the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, which he noted was a party to the suit, rather than making public statements he described as designed to string along supporters.

“It is not a question of coming to the public to say different things, telling lies. If it has been invalidated, let them go to INEC now,” he said, adding that by July, when the electoral commission publishes candidates of various political parties, the matter would resolve itself.

Wike also spoke on the faction’s claims of fielding a presidential candidate without the candidate making any public statement. “They say they have a presidential candidate. Why not wait? Presidential candidate they say, have not made any statement. You are contesting the election on behalf of somebody. I don’t know when Nigeria has gone to the point that you are running, I’m the one that will run on behalf of you,” he said.

On the situation in Rivers State, Wike, who leads the Rainbow Coalition in the state, also dismissed claims by the Emeka Beke-led faction of the All Progressives Congress APC that it had nullified all decisions taken by Tony Okocha and sacked all candidates produced by the party.

He described Beke as an “illiterate” and a “thug” who did not understand the legal distinction between sacking candidates and the party cancelling primaries conducted by the APC’s National Working Committee.

“Ask him what did the court say and also ask him whether the state carried out any primaries. The primaries are conducted by the National Working Committee of the party at the national level,” Wike said, adding that the underlying court matter remained pending reassignment following the death of the judge who issued the original ex-parte order.

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