Wike vows to seal off any PDP secretariat used by Tanimu Turaki faction
By Ishaya Ibrahim
FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has threatened to seal off any building used by the Tanimu Turaki faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as its national secretariat.
Wike issued the warning on Wednesday during a live media chat, where he accused the Tanimu Turaki faction of disregarding court judgments and engaging in what he described as fraudulent political arrangements.
According to Wike, the Supreme Court judgment dissolving the National Working Committee headed by Tanimu Turaki is common knowledge. He therefore vowed to clamp down on any property being used by the faction as its national secretariat.
Wike’s comments come in the wake of fresh disputes between rival camps, including groups aligned with Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and those in the Wike-backed faction, over control of party structures.
Wike dismissed claims of any valid interim arrangement by the Tanimu Turaki faction, insisting that such actions amounted to deception and disregard for the rule of law.
“When will people stop being fraudulent? You cannot disobey court judgments and then turn around to deceive Nigerians that you have a legitimate structure. That is not how democracy works,” he said.
The minister maintained that only a leadership recognised by the courts could lawfully run the affairs of the party, warning against what he described as parallel and unlawful structures.
“You don’t form a leadership in your bedroom and call it a national structure. Let them open an office anywhere and call it PDP secretariat; I dare them. That is how you know what is real and what is not,” Wike stated.
He alleged that some party leaders were attempting to establish what he called an illegal caretaker arrangement despite existing court pronouncements on the party’s leadership dispute.
“The court has made it clear who should run the affairs of the party pending a lawful convention. You cannot ignore that and start setting up another structure. That is fraud, 419,” he added.
