Wike Rejects Expulsion, Says PDP Newcomers Can’t Push Him Out

 

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed moves by a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to expel him, insisting that those who joined the party long after him cannot force him out.

Wike spoke on Sunday while hosting a parallel meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) at his Abuja residence.

He said governors Bala Mohammed of Bauchi and Seyi Makinde of Oyo — who are backing the faction that announced his expulsion — met him in the party and lacked the moral authority to question his loyalty.

Last month, the faction led by Kabiru Turaki announced the expulsion of Wike and several of his allies, including former governors Ayodele Fayose and Samuel Anyanwu; former national officers Umar Bature, Kamaldeen Ajibade, and Dan Orbih; as well as former party chairmen from Imo and Abia states.

However, Plateau Governor Caleb Mutfwang and Adamawa Governor Ahmadu Fintiri distanced themselves from the move.

‘No One Can Chase Me Out’

Wike said he had been part of the PDP since its formative years in the late 1990s and had made sacrifices that newcomers could not erase.

“How can those who met me in my house now drag me out? I will never allow it,” he said.

He accused the Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC), backed by Mohammed and Makinde, of “flagrant disobedience to court orders” by organising what he described as an “illegal convention”.

“You went to a state high court to obtain an ex parte order to override federal high court judgments. You disobey two final judgments and still claim leadership?” he said.

Wike wondered why the faction approached a federal high court for recognition after claiming the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had already acknowledged it.

‘PDP’s Survival at Stake’

The former Rivers governor warned that disregard for internal rules and judicial orders threatened the party’s future.

“We must not allow our party to die. Leadership requires commitment and honesty, not propaganda. If we don’t respect our own laws, how do we earn respect from Nigerians?” he said.

He urged members to rally behind what he called the “lawful leadership structure” and work to rebuild the party on the foundation of internal democracy.