The minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has challenged the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to suspend or discipline him over alleged anti-party activities.
“Who will discipline me?” Mr Wike queried. “I should be the one calling for the discipline of these people who violated the party’s constitution, in the way that the party supported rotation,” the Rivers state former governor said in an interview with Channels TV.
“Who will suspend me? I want to dare anybody,” the politician challenged the leadership of PDP.
Mr Wike was part of the PDP G5 governors that opposed the candidacy of Atiku Abubakar during the February 25th presidential election. They opposed the zoning of the party’s presidential nomination to the north instead of the southern part of the country.
The ex-governor played a lead role in the rebellion against Mr Atiku’s presidential election bid. He instead supported the eventual winner, Bola Tinubu of All Progressives Congress (APC), a move that didn’t go well with the leadership of the PDP.
Apparently, as a reward for his support, Mr Wike, a current card-carrying PDP chieftain, was named in Mr Tinubu’s cabinet as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He added: “We are just waiting for the presidential panel to finish, you will know who actually are those who are working well for the party.”
“How can anybody talk about expelling me? A state that brought a governor? A state that brought three senators? A state that produced 32 House of Assembly members? A state that produced 11 out of 13 House of Representatives?,” the minister boasted of PDP achievements under him in the general election.
“I have not seen that person, with all due respect. Nobody will do it. So, the issue of whether they will do it does not arise,” he reiterated in the defiant statement.