The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has urged members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to accept the judgment of the Court of Appeal on the party’s national convention dispute and focus on resolving internal disagreements.
Wike described the ruling as a moment for the opposition party to reflect on its challenges and chart a path forward.
He spoke on Monday at his residence in Abuja shortly after returning from a visit to the Kwali Area Council as part of his appreciation tour to communities within the Federal Capital Territory.
According to the former Rivers State governor, party members who genuinely care about the survival of the PDP should avoid taking the matter to the Supreme Court, warning that further legal battles could deepen the crisis within the party.
“We have fought enough; it is time to put aside personal interests,” Wike said.
He stressed that prolonging the legal dispute would only delay reconciliation efforts and weaken the party’s chances of rebuilding unity.
“If you truly love the party, you will not go to the Supreme Court. But if that is the decision they want to take, we are ready for it,” he added.
The FCT minister also reaffirmed that the PDP’s planned national convention will go ahead as scheduled on March 29 and 30.
He disclosed that preparations for the convention were already underway and that approval has been secured from the National Sports Commission to host the event at the Velodrome of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.
Wike’s comments followed a judgment delivered earlier on Monday by the Court of Appeal in Abuja.
The appellate court dismissed an appeal filed by the PDP challenging the October 31 ruling of the Federal High Court which restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the outcome of the party’s national convention earlier planned for Ibadan, Oyo State.
In a unanimous decision, a three-member panel of the appellate court resolved all four issues raised in the appeal against the PDP, holding that the appeal lacked merit.
The court affirmed that the Federal High Court acted within its jurisdiction in granting the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs in the case.
It also rejected the PDP’s argument that the case concerned only the internal affairs of the party and therefore should not have been entertained by the court.
Furthermore, the court ruled that the plaintiffs had the legal right, or locus standi, to institute the suit in defence of their democratic rights.
The appellate court also dismissed claims by the PDP that it was denied fair hearing during the trial.
In addition, the court imposed a cost of N2 million against the PDP faction identified as the Turaki group for filing what it described as a frivolous appeal.0
