By Halima Abubakar
ABUJA — Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said recent court rulings have left the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in a fragile legal position, insisting that prominent defectors will not be readmitted into the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Speaking during an interview in Abuja on Thursday, Wike maintained that both the Supreme Court judgment and an earlier Federal High Court ruling have compounded the leadership crisis within the ADC, leaving the party without any clear advantage.
According to him, the apex court’s decision also failed to resolve the internal wrangling in the PDP, despite nullifying the faction led by Tanimu Turaki.
He argued that the Supreme Court’s actions, including setting aside the status quo order in the ADC matter and directing a return to the Federal High Court, have further exposed the party to legal uncertainty.
“ADC is neither here nor there. Whichever way you look at it, there’s no way it has given them any upper hand,” Wike said, noting that an existing Federal High Court judgment already weakens the party’s position.
On the PDP, Wike stated that the court’s verdict affirmed a single leadership structure under the recognised national leadership, effectively ending factional claims tied to the disputed November convention.
“There are no more factions in PDP,” he declared.
The minister was emphatic that key figures who defected to the ADC, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Senate President David Mark, would not be welcomed back.
He distinguished between members who left due to uncertainty during the crisis and those he described as central actors in efforts to take over the party.
“Those who originally left… we don’t want to take those ones back,” he said, adding that the PDP is not part of any coalition efforts involving the defectors.
Wike also dismissed claims that Senator Samuel Anyanwu had been validly removed as the party’s National Secretary, insisting that no lawful suspension ever took place.
He explained that any recommendation for suspension was never ratified by the appropriate party organ, rendering it ineffective.
He further noted that any disciplinary issues had since been
resolved, allowing affected members to contest and be elected at the party’s national convention.
According to him, a series of rulings from the Federal High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court have consistently upheld the legitimacy of the PDP’s current leadership.
“In politics, you must be ready to make sacrifices. Everything they have done has been set aside,” Wike added.
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