PDP Crisis: Wike, Makinde Camps Sell Nomination Forms Separately

The crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) continued yesterday as warring camps within the party sold nomination forms to aspirants seeking to contest on the party’s platform.

Checks by LEADERSHIP showed that the Mohammed Abdulrahman-led PDP, which is supported by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and the Tanimu Turaki-led faction backed by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, both sold forms to aspirants.

This comes as the camps traded words yesterday over the opening of an official bank account and the party’s national secretariat.

The purchase of forms by aspirants comes as both camps lay claim to the party leadership, despite a Supreme Court judgment on the party’s leadership.

While the Wike-backed group is relying on the apex court judgment which invalidated the Ibadan National Convention that produced the hitherto Turaki-led National Working Committee, the Makinde group, in turn, is relying on a verdict by the same court which upheld the suspension of Senator Samuel Anyanwu and other party officials before they conducted the Abuja National Convention.

Following the Supreme Court verdict, the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), led by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, said it had taken over the party, claiming the ruling left the party without leadership. It subsequently convened a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, which appointed the Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee. These moves were, however, rejected by the Wike-backed camp.

The Wike-backed camp has reportedly sold presidential nomination forms to Senator Sandy Onor. It was also learnt that the faction sold forms for other elective offices across various states. Similarly, a retired director of the Department of Development Control, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Abuja, Muktar Galadima, purchased PDP forms for the Wukari/Ibi Federal Constituency from the Wike camp.

Likewise, the Makinde-backed camp sold Adamawa governorship forms to Chief Caleb Andrew Myabangara, as well as House of Representatives forms to Hon. Monday Simon to contest for the Guyuk/Shelleng Federal Constituency of Adamawa State.

A source in the Turaki camp said more aspirants purchased party forms online, while “about five came physically to the office.”

Meanwhile, Wike yesterday issued a direct challenge to the Turaki-led camp, daring them to prove their claimed control of the party’s structure by opening an official bank account and secretariat.

Speaking during a live media chat in Abuja, Wike accused certain party leaders of misleading Nigerians and flouting court rulings amid the deepening leadership crisis rocking the opposition party.

The former Rivers State governor insisted that the faction opposing the party’s recognised leadership lacked legal standing and could not lawfully manage the affairs of the party.

“You cannot continue to deceive Nigerians. If they are sure they are the authentic leadership of the PDP, let them open an official PDP account and ask party members to pay nomination fees into it,” Wike said.

He specifically challenged Tanimu Turaki, SAN, and other leaders of the rival camp to test their claims by opening a bank account in the name of the PDP.

“Let Turaki, as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, open an account for the PDP. Let them announce it publicly for members who want to contest elections. That day, you will see what will happen,” he stated.

Wike argued that no bank would recognise such an account because the faction allegedly lacks the legally recognised party structure and documentation required to operate.

“That bank will be in trouble because to open such an account, you must provide the party’s authentic documents and recognised leadership. Who has those documents?” he queried.

The FCT minister also warned against attempts to establish what he described as illegal party offices, vowing that any action capable of causing a breakdown of law and order in Abuja would not be tolerated.

“If anybody goes ahead to open an illegal office in the name of the PDP in Abuja, I will seal it. I will not allow any breach of peace because my duty is to maintain law and order in the Federal Capital Territory,” he said.

Wike maintained that court judgments had already settled the dispute over the PDP leadership and convention issues, accusing some actors of twisting judicial pronouncements for political convenience.

“People should stop deceiving Nigerians. The judgments are clear. You cannot ignore court decisions and begin to create parallel structures,” he added.

The minister further dismissed claims that the Supreme Court ruling favoured the rival faction, insisting that the legal processes and decisions available supported his position and that of the recognised party leadership.

Reacting, however, the Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee of the PDP countered Wike’s claims, stressing that it had already begun the sale of party forms.

The National Publicity Secretary of the Interim National Working Committee, Comrade Ini Ememobong, said Wike could never be the National Leader of the PDP, as no such office exists in the party’s constitution.

He said in a statement: “We understand his frustration about the commencement of the sale of forms and activities to hold primaries and eventually a national convention where a credible Nigerian will emerge as the presidential candidate. This means he has failed in his promise to ‘hold down’ the party for his principal.”

He added that there is nothing the FCT minister can do regarding the ongoing sale of forms.

Ememobong further stated that “he (Wike) is already aware that we are operating party accounts, which is why his group of friends are receiving money through private accounts.”

On the Supreme Court judgment, the Turaki camp said that while awaiting the release of the Certified True Copies of the dismissed cross-appeals, “we would be glad to have the minister tell the world what the reliefs in the cross-appeals filed by his associates were, and what the judgment of the court was.”