Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Senate President David Mark as political liabilities, insisting they are no longer welcome in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Speaking during an interview at his Abuja residence on Thursday evening, Wike also addressed recent court rulings affecting the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the PDP, arguing that the legal battles have left the ADC in a precarious position while conclusively resolving the PDP’s leadership crisis.
On the ADC’s legal standing, Wike—a trained lawyer—said: “ADC is neither here nor there. Whichever way you look at it, there’s no way it has given them any upper hand.” He explained that the Supreme Court had vacated the status quo ante bellum order sustaining certain arrangements within the party, directing the Federal High Court to proceed with the case.
“ADC is still in a big problem. Whether they go back to the Federal High Court, that means the Federal High Court has to continue until the final judgment is given. But before that final judgment comes, there is already a judgment by the same Federal High Court,” he added.
Regarding the PDP, Wike declared that Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling—which extinguished the Tanimu Turaki-led faction—has proven beyond dispute that the party has a single leadership under National Chairman Mohammed Abdulrahman. “There are no more factions in PDP. PDP has gone to rest,” he said.
When asked whether prominent figures who defected to the ADC during the internal crisis would be welcomed back, Wike drew a sharp line between ordinary members and what he termed “principal actors.”
“Those who originally left from the outset, who wanted to bring the people with natural liabilities into the party, we don’t want to take those ones back. My brother, Mark, and my friend, Atiku, who are here now, are holding a coalition meeting. We are not part of that. I don’t know where they will be heading to now,” he said.
Wike also addressed the status of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as PDP National Secretary, dismissing claims that any court ruling had legitimately suspended or removed him. He argued that the committee recommending Anyanwu’s suspension produced a report never ratified by the appropriate party organ.
“The FCT High Court cannot say we will stand by the suspension. Whose suspension? There was no suspension,” Wike stated. He added that the PDP had since lifted any outstanding disciplinary measures, allowing those affected to contest at the national convention.
“So, assuming but not conceding, that Sam Anyanwu and others were suspended by the other group, the same party has said we have forgiven you. Come and contest election. And they contested and were voted in at the National Convention. So the issue of suspension no longer arises,” he said.
Wike concluded that a series of judgments—from the Federal High Court through the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court—had consistently validated the convention that produced the current PDP leadership. “In politics, you must be ready to make sacrifices. Everything they have done has been set aside,” he said.