By Tajudeen Balogun
In spite of 14-day respite given by President Bola Tinubu for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and other entities, to do the needful, on the recent clampdown on the party national secretariat in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), notable chieftains the PDP have berated Federal Capital Territory (FCT)Minister, Nyesom Wike on his recent action while commending President Bola Tinubu for his swift intervention.
The Wadata plaza which belongs the PDP, was among the premises sealed on Monday by the Special Task Force of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) over alleged unpaid ground rent for 25 years.
The New Diplomat checks revealed that PDP facility may have been the focus of attention by the authorities given the fact that it is an opposition political party.
While reacting to the latest development, the PDP BoT Chairman and former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara commended Tinubu for his swift intervention.
Wabara reacted: “As the BoT chairman of the PDP, I most sincerely appreciate the magnanimity and maturity of Mr President in directing that the national secretariat of the main opposition party in the country be unsealed.
“This singular action has saved Nigeria’s image before the international community, and doused the growing tension generated by the action of the FCTA.”
Admitting leadership tussle within the ranks and files of the party, Wabara called for a genuine and structured reconciliation process within the PDP, urging its leaders, elders, youths and other stakeholders to prioritise unity over personal ambitions.
Another BoT member and former National Deputy Chairman (South) Chief Olabode George, in his reaction expressed dismay over the FCT Minister’s role in the sealing off of the PDP secretariat.
Speaking as a guest on Arise TV programme monitored by The New Diplomat, George scolde Wike for locking up the PDP’s premises, describing the action as “sacrilegious, unacceptable, and culturally inadmissible.”
Chief George said: “Regarding the locking up of our party’s premises, it is absolutely sacrilegious, unacceptable, and culturally inadmissible.
“Imagine discovering that some ground rent hasn’t been paid, and as the Chairman of the local government, you could easily settle the debt, a mere N7.9 million, especially when it concerns your father’s property.”
He stressed: “There is nothing personal in this party, and no individual can claim it as his private fiefdom. Never.’’
George reaffirmed the PDP’s enduring strength, urging party members to focus on rebuilding and preserving the party’s legacy for future generations.
On his part, in an interview with The Vanguard newspaper, a former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido recalled: “Here is someone who was honoured by the PDP, brought into relevance by the PDP, and now turns around to fight the very party that made him. Wike is, quite frankly, a disaster. What he has done is un-African and un-Nigerian.
“I don’t understand how someone, simply because of his ambition, can take things so personally and act so destructively. There used to be a party culture that prioritised collective good – something altruistic – but that seems lost now.
“To seal the PDP secretariat — a party that produced you, nurtured you — no matter your grievances, no matter your bitterness, it’s like destroying your own home.
“He claims he financed the party. But is it wrong for a son to take care of his mother? Does it now mean the mother must submit to the son and take orders from him simply because he’s providing her clothing?
“Wike is thinking in a very warped way. He lacks the values and traditions that define our political culture.
I’m glad, however, that President Tinubu intervened. The office was reopened by his order.
“The very man Wike is trying to please by destroying his political family is the one saying, ‘no, you can’t do that.’.”
The New Diplomat checks indicate that Tinubu’s intervention may have compelled the FCTA to backpedel on its earlier hardline stance against affected entities.
