After closed door meeting with Buhari, read how Wike slams INEC, court

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state has reacted to an alleged court order, stopping the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on May 21.

Speaking on Channels TV Sunrise Daily broadcast, Wike, who is the chairman of the National Convention Planning Committee of the PDP said that there was no valid court order stopping the party from holding the convention, adding that the PDP national convention will hold as scheduled.

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Tuesday, May 17, stopped the PDP from electing anyone into offices of the national chairman, national secretary and national auditor of the party at the party’s national convention on May 21 in Port-Harcourt, Rivers state.

The order restraining the party from conducting elections was in respect of a suit brought before the court by the party acting chairman Ali Modu Sheriff, the National Secretary, Prof. Olawale Oladipo and the National Auditor, Alhaji Fatai Adewale Adeyanju.

But in a swift response, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, told the Federal High Court in Lagos that he did not authorise anybody to file a suit on his behalf.

Wike also added that the suit before a Federal High Court in Lagos was filed by an imposter and that the national chairman of the party had written to the court informing it of the fraud.

He said: “There is no valid court order stopping the PDP National Convention. The suit at the Federal High Court Lagos was filed by an imposter. As a chairman of the National Convention Planning Committee, I have not been served any court order. How can there be an order when I did not go to court?”

Wike also declared that the PDP emerged stronger from the recent challenges because all leaders of the party were working to keep the party united.

According to him, the party stakeholders have resolved their differences by placing the survival of the party above other considerations.

“At the point we are now, we want everybody to be together to form a united opposition in the interest of the nation. When a presidential candidate emerges from the north in 2018, the Chairman of the party will come from the South.

 “We will no longer allow the imposition of candidates. We are encouraging every candidate to contest elections and emerge through popular votes. We will not allow impunity or imposition.”

Wike also said he has lost confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) because the commission “is too inconsistent”, as it works to promote the interest of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers state.

He said: “I don’t have confidence in the present INEC. It is too inconsistent and acts outside the law.

“In Rivers state, the APC has used INEC to generate tension by attempting to manipulate the electoral process for eight local government areas where INEC had already cancelled elections during the March 19 rerun elections in the state.”

He said it was unfortunate that INEC had set up a committee to review already cancelled elections, saying the move would lead to avoidable crisis.

Although the governor expressed optimism that the PDP would win the up-coming governorship election in Edo state.

“From what we have seen on ground in Edo State, this is the best time to capture the state. We have sent independent assessors to the state and they have adjudged that the PDP has the opportunity to take over Edo,” he said.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, May 16, met briefly behind closed door with Governor Nyesom Wike.

The meeting which was held inside the President’s office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja did not last up to 30 minutes.

The agenda of the meeting was not made public.

The governor also did not speak with state House correspondents at the end of the short meeting.

While Buhari belongs to the APC, Wike is a member of the PDP.

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