On Wednesday, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, challenged the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, group led by Tanimu Turaki to register an official party bank account and secretariat if they truly feel they control the opposition party’s structure.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, Wike accused some party officials of deceiving Nigerians and disobeying court orders during the PDP’s ongoing leadership crisis.
The former Rivers State governor claimed that the section opposing the party’s recognised leadership lacked legal footing and could not properly conduct the party’s business.
“You cannot keep deceiving Nigerians. If they are certain that they are the legitimate leadership of the PDP, let them open an official PDP account and instruct party members to deposit nomination fees into it,” Wike remarked.
He explicitly asked Taminu Turaki, SAN, and other competing camp leaders to prove their claims by creating a bank account in the name of the PDP.
“Let Turaki, Nigeria’s Senior Advocate, create an account for the PDP. Allow them to publicly disclose it for members who wish to run in elections. “That day, you will see what happens,” he said.
Wike claimed that no bank would accept such an account because the faction purportedly lacked the legally established party structure and papers necessary to operate.
“That bank will be in problems since opening such an account requires providing the party’s authentic documents and recognised leadership. “Who has those documents?” he asked.
The FCT minister also warned against attempts to create what he characterised as illegal party offices, stating that any activity capable of disrupting law and order in Abuja would not be condoned.
“If anyone opens an unlawful office in Abuja under the name of the PDP, I will shut it. “I will not tolerate any breach of peace because it is my duty to maintain law and order in the Federal Capital Territory,” he stated.
Wike insisted that court rulings had already resolved the debate over PDP leadership and convention problems, accusing some actors of distorting legal declarations for political advantage.
“People should not deceive Nigerians. The verdicts are clear. You cannot ignore court decisions and start forming rival structures,” he warned.
The minister further denied that the Supreme Court order benefitted the opposing faction, claiming that the legal processes and rulings available supported his stance and that of the established party leadership.
According to him, attempts to read the judgements outside of the established legal context were intended to confuse party members and the general public.