The leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Edwin Clark, has urged the acting national chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Ambassador Umar Damagum, to summon the courage to see to the exit of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, from the party for the party to stand a chance of survival.
Clark, in an open letter to the PDP leadership delivered in Abuja on Tuesday, sharply criticised Wike for allegedly leveraging his ties with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to undermine the PDP.
He also alleged that Wike’s influence is being used to pressure his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Despite Wike’s insistence on remaining a PDP member after losing the last presidential primary to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Clark claimed Wike’s actions have been detrimental to the party.
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Clark, addressing Damagun, expressed his frustration over Wike’s alleged harassment of Governor Fubara and criticised the PDP leadership for not intervening.
“I cannot stand by and let Wike continue to attack the governor,” Clark said, accusing the former Rivers governor of hypocrisy for criticising former Governors Bello Matawalle, Dave Umahi, and Ben Ayade when they defected to the APC, while aligning himself with the ruling party.
Clark denounced Wike’s actions as an attempt to destabilise the PDP from within and claimed that Wike’s recent actions are aimed at undermining the Rivers State government.
He also alleged that Damagun and the PDP National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, are complicit in Wike’s disruptive activities, suggesting they are undermining the party’s legal efforts against defected lawmakers from Rivers State.
He urged the party to form a probe committee to investigate these activities and take appropriate action.
In a related development, the PDP is set to inaugurate two committees today aimed at revitalising the party: the National Reconciliation Committee, chaired by Olagunsoye Oyinlola, and the Disciplinary Committee, led by Chief Tom Ikimi. These committees are expected to address internal discord and reposition the party for the 2027 elections.
The Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Abdullahi, expressed confidence in the new committees, noting their distinguished membership.
He emphasised that the committees are expected to handle disciplinary issues more effectively compared to previous efforts, which he criticised for being based on personal conflicts rather than verifiable facts.
Abdullahi also addressed concerns about the handling of anti-party activities, stating that the definition of such activities should be based on the party’s constitution.
He highlighted that past suspensions under the former National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, lacked proper justification and called for a more nuanced approach to addressing party discipline.
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