How I Will Tackle Wike If I Become PDP National Chairman – Sowunmi
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Segun Sowunmi, has taken a critical look at the membership of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike in the opposition Party, stressing that a political party must be designed in such a way that no individual would be too big for the party.
Sowunmi, who is aspiring for the position of National Chairman of the PDP, said that the time has come for the PDP to resolve what constitutes anti-party and a breach of the law, adding that a situation in which an individual seems to be bigger than the Party must not be allowed and or tolerated.
He said; “I’ve been saying this for some time. You must list what you consider to constitute anti-party. You have to look at what constitutes a breach of your laws if anybody has breached the law. Is the breach a mild breach that you can give a warning or is it a breach that is so fundamental that it deserves to be punished?
The party’s constitution should be able to guide the conduct of its members whenever they attend events organised by members of rival parties. If I attend my friend’s birthday party from another political party, you must tell me if I should sit at a table and greet my friends from that party. “You need to let your party members know these are the issues, and you must view them in a way that you do not try to assume that the political party is a free zone.
“For instance, if you’re a Roman Catholic, you may not receive communion in an Anglican Church, and if you’re a Celestial, you may not wear your garment to a Roman Catholic Church,” he said.
Sowunmi particularly said that if he emerged as the National Chairman of the PDP, he would certainly not allow any person to ‘appear too strong for the party.’
In his words; “I believe that everything has an expiry date. If your problems are too much, there will always be disciplinary actions, and you will find me very resolute and very hard”.
During the build-up to the 2023 election, Wike, who was the Governor of Rivers State, scuttled the PDP’s chances in the state as a result of his political difference with the Presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar, and the National Chairman of the Party, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu.
Atiku’s emergence as the PDP presidential candidate upset Wike, who contested the ticket and hoped to emerge as the party’s presidential candidate.
Wike’s destabilization moves polarised the PDP, which led some party chieftains to call for his suspension. At the same time, his loyalists and four other PDP governors who made up the G5 insisted they did not violate any of the provisions of the PDP’s constitution.
Again, following the PDP’s defeat to the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Wike lobbied and was rewarded with a ministerial appointment. Despite what concerned members of the Party considered gross anti-party activity, the PDP failed to address Wike’s alleged anti-party moves during and after the election as he remained a member of the PDP working for the APC thus making Wike’s membership of the party, a bitter pill to swallow for most members of the PDP.
– Sourced from The Pulse Nigeria
