“You Are Totally Ignorant, Your Sense Beclouded By Allure Of Party Money”, Wike Berates Damagun

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Minister of the  Federal Capital Territory, FCT,  Nyesom Wike, has berated the National Leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for waiting to be prodded by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC before giving effect to a Supreme Court judgment.

The Source reports that the Apex Court had, a few months ago, ruled on the lingering crisis within the PDP over the position of its National Secretary.

The duo of Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Hon Ude Okoye had all laid claim to the position which the former had earlier vacated to pursue his Imo state gubernatorial ambition.

The Supreme court verdict, however, rather than decisively resolving the impasse further complicated the struggle with the ruling subjected to varying interpretations by interested parties.

But on Wednesday, the party hierarchy,

after emerging from a trouble-shooting meeting with the electoral umpire opted to reinstate Anyanwu who  is widely perceived as Wike’s ally as the party’s Secretary.

According to the Acting National Chairman Iliya Damagun, accepting back Anyanwu as the PDP’s National Secretary was a very difficult decision which the party had to take in order to move on.

The meeting between the party and INEC ,was necessitated by the need to resolve all gray areas so as to get INEC’s nod for its crucial NEC meeting scheduled for June 30.

The INEC, based on the absence of the signature of  Senator Anyanwa as a co-convener of the NEC, refused to endorse it, a development which  prompted the Acting National Chairman to lead a high powered delegation of the party to a meeting with the Electoral body on Tuesday.

But reacting to the reinstatement of his ally Anyanwu on Wednesday, Wike widely seen as one of the architects of the party’s crisis ,while welcoming the development ,however described the party leadership as largely ignorant of the law

According to him, such gross act of ignorance is both legally unnecessary and politically embarrassing.

“I heard it (Anyanwu’s reinstatement) when the acting National Chairman of PDP was directing the National Secretary to resume .

“The National Secretary has been doing his work. So you can’t direct him to resume .

“The National Secretary having been duly elected never at a anytime vacated his position ,and so did not require reappointment from anybody and a revalidation to continue to carry on his duties

“The law does not recognize ignorance. That you are ignorant of the law is not an excuse.

“It is hugely disappointing that party officials would wait until being pushed by INEC to implement a matter that had long been settled by the country’s highest court”, Wike noted .

He expressed serious concern that “the National Chairman has allowed  over bloated ego and the lure of party funds to becloud his sense of reasoning and judgment”, the FCT Minister stated