Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday, maintained that his principal is still a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, amid the confusion of the party’s National convention scheduled for November 15 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Olayinka said Wike’s fight within the PDP is for the right
thing to be done and the party’s constitution obeyed by members.
He spoke while appearing on Channels Television’s Sunrise
Daily in response to claims of Wike trying to destroy the PDP before joining
the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Olayinka said most of the issues Wike raised regarding PDP’s
leadership have been accepted by the party despite initial resistance.
He said: “The Minister has continually maintained that he
remains in PDP. I said it here, the last time I was here, I asked this
question, everything the minister had complained about, every of his position
about PDP, which of them has the party not come back to accept?
“When he came up with the issue of Damagum, that Damagum
should rightfully remain the PDP chairman, these same people said no and at the
end of the day, did they not come back to make Damagum chairman?
“The issue of Samuel Anyanwu, the national secretary of the
party, that they brought one person from Maiduguri to come and be national
secretary. They said no that Wike was doing it because he was against the
party, because he was against this and that.
“Supreme Court gave judgment and the party refused to obey
it. At the end of the day, what did the party come back to agree on? The same
position of Wike.
“See, you can hate Wike, you can hate me Lere Olayinka but
can you hate the position of your party, of the constitution of your party?
Because you always talk about it is internal affairs. Internal affairs, yes,
but you must operate in accordance with your constitution.”
Highlighting the Abuja Federal High Court ruling that
restrained the PDP from going ahead with its National convention, Olayinka said
the party has already zoned its presidential ticket.
He said: “Look at the case of yesterday, in which another
was given to restrain the party from going ahead with the national convention.
You want to hold national convention and you have zoned positions, PDP does not
zone position to North Central, Northeast, Northwest, or Southwest, Southeast.
PDP only do North and South zoning.”
Dismissing claims that Wike was responsible for the crisis
within the PDP, Olayinka wondered if the Minister was behind the inability of
former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido not getting his nomination form after
he had paid.
He said: “A former governor, one of the founding fathers of
the PDP, Sule Lamido, paid to obtain nomination form to contest for national
chairman. After paying, they refused to release nomination form to him. Did
Wike cause that one? Is it part of the function of the PDP to refuse to release
the nomination form to people who have paid?
“Even if you have positions, even if you have somebody that
you want, it has always happened in the past. You should allow people to freely
express their right to contest.”
Olayinka accused most PDP leaders who are gearing to
participate in the upcoming convention of not knowing where their nomination
forms are.
He added: “But this convention they are talking about, most
of those leaders of the PDP don’t even know where the nomination forms are.
They don’t even know where to get a nomination form. The National Organizing
Secretary of the PDP is in charge of convention, congresses and up to today,
the National Organizing Secretary does not know who are the people even
contesting, these are the issues.”
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