The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Honourable Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, has defended the party's recent national convention, insisting it was conducted legally and remains valid despite criticism from opposing factions and ongoing legal disputes.
Responding to claims of a "Wike-ledÔÇØ structure, Hon. Mohammed said the description is largely a media interpretation rather than an official party designation.
"Well, you are not a politician, you are just a journalist. That is why perhaps you are describing it as 'Wike-led.' Even by that pronouncement and by your own judgment, Wike claims he is the national leader.ÔÇØ
"But now, using this as a yardstick, does that not underscore what people have accused your party of-flagrant disregard for the rule of law? Because you are pontificating to me that I'm a journalist, but what has that got to do with the point of violating the rule of law? By virtue of pronouncements calling Wike the national leader,ÔÇØ he said.
Addressing claims of ruling party influence on PDP, Hon. Mohammed dismissed factional narratives and insisted the PDP has only one recognised leadership.
"It surprises me when journalists keep describing the PDP by 'this faction' or 'that faction.' There is a clear-cut judgment that there is no faction. This is the authentic leadership. There is no way the PDP as presently constituted would be accused of being sponsored by the ruling party. The fact that Nyesom Wike is working for the President and not the APC does not mean the PDP is an appendage of the APC,ÔÇØ he clarified.
The PDP's National Publicity Secretary also dismissed fears that the Supreme Court might overturn the convention, describing the pending appeals as frivolous and politically motivated.
"I can tell you that at the Supreme Court, any lawyer who filed those processes will be heavily fined. There is really nothing different from what transpired at the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal that will happen at the Supreme Court.
They are just frivolous appeals that lack complete merit. It is just a political tactic by disgruntled travelers to continue to mislead their followers.
We have said this times without number: these are never internal party affairs, and the court has complete jurisdiction to adjudicate on the matter.ÔÇØ
He further insisted that the convention was purely about strengthening the party and its processes, rejecting any claims that members attended to seek favours from the President.
"No. Let's not give a wrong narrative that people coming to this PDP are trying to seek favours from the President. No, we are PDP and we are going to challenge the APC. I can tell you, write it down, pin it down, that we will field a presidential candidate,ÔÇØ he declared.
"He has never said that. Wike only said as a person, he would support the President, but he never said the PDP would support the President. He has only said he, himself.ÔÇØ
"First, you need to understand that regaining people's confidence is a gradual process. Now that the convention and new NWC has been elected, people have started really seeing hope and confidence building in the party. The NWC will sit and marshal out plans on how we can begin to organize our primary elections,ÔÇØ he said.
Hon. Mohammed announced that the previously scheduled presidential primaries for May 23 have been withdrawn, signalling a revision of the party's electoral timetable.
He also stated that the decision between a consensus or direct primary, in line with Section 84, will be determined by the party's National Executive Committee and other stakeholders ahead of the primary elections.
"These are things that will be open for the National Executive Committee of the party and other stakeholders to see which of the two options will be adopted during the primary elections.ÔÇØ
"I am not a member of the ADC. While Kwankwaso is a force to reckon with as far as Politics of Nigeria is concerned, we are not bothered about what is happening in the ADC. We are PDP, and our focus is to see how we can regain our mandate,ÔÇØ he concluded.
