A Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Segun Sowunmi, has expressed his views on how he would handle key party figures if he were the National Chairman of the party.
According to an interview with Nigeria Info FM, Sowunmi believes that if the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, had joined the All Progressive Congress (APC) government, he would have taken a strong stance against it. He would have frozen Wike’s party membership, treating him like a lecturer on sabbatical, where his party affiliation would be put on hold until he returns.
Sowunmi emphasized that it was wrong for Wike to hold a ministerial post in the APC administration, considering the PDP’s party structure. He believes Wike would not have been allowed to hold such a position if he were a member of the PDP, and that the party’s integrity would be compromised if he were to attend its meetings or hold authority within the party.
“If I were the National Chairman of PDP and Wike came to me and said they had invited him to join the APC, I would have stopped his membership in its tracks,” Sowunmi said. “I would have treated him like a lecturer on sabbatical, which means his membership is frozen. When he returns, his membership would be reactivated. This way, he cannot be in charge of the party’s structure in Rivers or anywhere else. He would be unable to attend our meetings, and if he returns, he would be given a three-month debriefing period to abandon any knowledge he gained from the APC.”
Sowunmi also expressed his concerns about another party leader, Atiku, stating that if he were the National Chairman, he would deliver a stern message to Atiku, telling him to get his party issues in order. He believes it’s essential to maintain party authority and that Atiku’s demands, such as the promotion of Umar Damagun to acting capacity, cannot be justified while the party is, in his opinion, already weak.
