By Omoyeni Ojeifo
The tension within the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) continues to escalate as Representative Fred Agbedi (Sagbama/Ekeremor, Bayelsa) publicly criticized FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
Persecondnews recalls that the FCT Minister, at a media parley on Wednesday in Abuja, had warned that any bank or property owner in Abuja that allows the faction to operate from its premises or open accounts for the sale of nomination forms would face sanctions.
He also threatened to seal off any building used as a parallel party secretariat, insisting that no unauthorised PDP structure would be allowed to operate in the Federal Capital Territory.
Agbedi, reacting to this during an interview on Channels Television monitored by Persecondnews later in the day, condemned Wike’s remarks, accusing him of overreach in the internal party affairs and describing the minister’s statements as excessive.
“Should a serving government official threaten property owners over an internal party dispute? It is obvious these actions amount to oppression and an overreach into internal party affairs,” he stressed.
The lawmaker maintained that internal party disputes must be resolved strictly through party structures and judicial interpretation, not through public threats or executive directives.
Agbedi further questioned the legality of actions taken by some suspended party officials.
“Three individuals cannot sit in a room, without due authority, without due process, and assume the powers of the National Working Committee to suspend a larger number of duly recognised officers. Where is that rule? Where is that law?” he asked.
He added that the Supreme Court judgment and related rulings had effectively invalidated the outcome of the Ibadan convention.
“What we are saying is that the clear situation is that the Ibadan convention is gone and nobody is disputing that. The convention chairmanship arising from it was declared null and void,” he said.
Agbedi argued that with appeals dismissed at the apex court, neither faction could claim outright victory, insisting the party had no choice but to rely on interim arrangements to maintain stability.
He said individuals earlier suspended by the party could not lawfully constitute themselves into a National Working Committee or continue to act on behalf of the PDP.
“The BoT had to take over proceedings from the court in order to ensure order, continuity, and proper administrative direction,” he stated.
Agbedi urged restraint from the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, calling for calm and caution in handling internal party disagreements.
He warned that public statements and threats could further heighten tensions within the party and appealed for efforts that would promote peace and stability in the PDP.
“Why is he crying more than the bereaved?” Agbedi said, accusing the FCT Minister of behaving as though he has a greater stake in the matter than those truly affected in the dispute.
“If they are vexed about the Supreme Court judgment, they should go back to court and not threaten Nigerians,” he added.
He also maintained that actions taken by suspended officials loyal to Samuel Anyanwu could not stand legally.
Despite the persistent internal friction, Agbedi remains optimistic about the party’s future.
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