Veteran journalist and former presidential aide, Reuben Abati, has said the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has reasserted himself as a dominant figure within the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, amid the party’s lingering internal crisis.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show, on Monday, Abati stated that recent development within the PDP suggest a resurgence of Wike’s political influence, particularly following competing party conventions and conflicting court rulings.
Abati noted that the situation has created uncertainty over which faction of the party holds legitimacy, citing judgments delivered by different courts, including those presided over by Justices Lifu, Omotosho and Akintola, as well as subsequent rulings from the Court of Appeal.
He said there are still questions about the authenticity of the convention held by rival factions, including the one conducted at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, which was reportedly monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Abati added that despite the uncertainty, Wike appears to have consolidated his position within the party, with growing perceptions among supporters that he now plays a leading role at the national level.
Abati said: “Nyesom Wike has established himself as the national leader of the party, because it was a triumph for his own wing of the party.
“But if you look at the rule of law now, which convention is now valid. If you look at the rulings of the Court of Justice Lifu, Justice Omotosho, Justice Akintola, and the subsequent court of appeal judgments. They are not rubies, they are judgments.
“So which one is now the valid convention? The problem is that the convention at the Moshod Abiola stadium was witnessed by the INEC, a 13-man delegation led by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
“So which one now is authentic? So you are still going to see, in my view, a lot of drama coming from the direction of the People’s Democratic Party.
“But the lowest common denominator is that Wike has bounced back. He has established himself. People on the streets are saying him as a national leader of the party.
“So we have to wait before we drive any conclusion in this regard for the Supreme Court ruling the Turaki’s faction, having gone all the way to the Supreme Court to determine which section of the party is authentic or not.
“What we know that we can hold on to is that here Nyesom Wike, Minister the FCT, says although he is going to deliver presidency to President Bola Tinubu as he has done in the PDP. That’s what he’s also doing at the state level.
“It was a weekend of conventions with a lot of ugliness, with a lot of excitement, but the joke is on the PDP as a political party.”