The Acting National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Damagun, has said the party leadership will sanction the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, for anti-party activities at the right time.
Mr Damagun disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said the party will also sanction others who were involved in anti-party activities.
The chairman said Mr Wike, a former governor of Rivers State under the PDP, is not above the party leadership and that the party has every power to sanction him.
“Our stand about Wike, I have always said this thing that as long as you are a member of the PDP, there is a time for everything. My duty is to stabilise this party and not to cause crisis and I will continue to do that within the confines of reason.
“When things go out of hand, we will act. But meanwhile, we still see it within the ambit of the law. Mind you, we have other litigation going on in this party and we won’t want to plunge our party into another crisis.
“And let me tell you something, it’s not only Wike. There are other people who worked against this party. When we get to that level we will sanction everybody. If Wike believes he is above this party, we will be able to show him that he is not above this party” he said.
Mr Damagun disclosed that the party has constituted a panel to investigate those involved in the anti-party activities.
He assured that the panel would present a report and recommend appropriate sanctions against the erring members of the party for anti-party.
“They are to review what happened in 2023 and come out with a report not only about one person, but every person who has in one way or another engaged in anti-party. Then after that, we will see what kind of measure to take,” the chairman stated.
Mr Wike had led a group of five PDP governors, known as G5, who worked against the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the February election.
The other members of the G5 were Governir Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, the then governors of Benue State, Samuel Orton, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State.
Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the 25 February presidential poll beating Atiku to second place
Mr Wike subsequently took up a ministerial appointment in the Tinubu administration.
He had, however, helped the PDP to win the 18 March governorship election in Rivers State, which brought his successor, Siminalayi Fubara, to power.
Mr Wike had in the few months battled Mr Fubara for control of the PDP structure in the oil-rich state.
On Monday, the minister led his group to a peace meeting with the governor, which was convened by Mr Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Apart from the Rivers PDP chairman, no member of the national leadership of the opposition party attended the meeting where an eight-point resolution was adopted
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