Senate Minority Leader, Moro gives reasons “Why Wike was allowed to attend the national caucus meeting”

The Federal Capital Territory Administration’s (FCTA) Minister, Nyesom Wike, was granted permission to attend the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) National Caucus meeting, which was held in advance of the party’s National Executive Committee meeting last week, according to Senate Minority Leader Senator Comrade Abba Patrick Moro of the PDP, Benue South.

Moro claims that since Wike has not been proven guilty of any crimes and has not been punished by the party, there was no possibility that he could have been prevented from attending the meeting.

The Minority Leader declared that he will cease attending party meetings if Wike was found guilty of the alleged antiparty acts by the party’s disciplinary committee, which was led by former Senate President Senator Bukola Saraki.

Moro stated that Amb. Umar Lliya Damagum’s continued position as the PDP’s acting national chairman was a decision that all key parties agreed upon in order for the party to move forward, not a win or loss for any one person.

Senator Moro’s response came amid speculation in some quarters that Amb. Damagum’s refusal to step down despite calls for his resignation meant that Nyesom Wike, the former governor of River State, had won and Atiku, the PDP presidential candidate for 2023, had lost.

Senator Moro stated in a statement released on Sunday by his media adviser, Emmanuel Eche’Ofun John, that Atiku and Wike should not be held accountable for the actions or inactions of the PDP.

He claimed that the main focus of the matter was PDP and giving Nigerians a strong alternative platform to aspire to, rather than triumph or defeat for any individual.

“We cannot attribute all of the PDP’s actions and inactions to Wike and Atiku, out of the millions of other party members across the nation who also have their own opinions and motivations for joining the party,” stated Moro.

“The whole issue was not about Wike or Atiku, or victory for Wike or defeat for Atiku, the issue was existential.

“We came together and reasoned together, that in the present scenario where Nigerians are hurting due to the maladministration of the APC government, what do we do to provide an alternative platform for Nigerians to look up to? In that circumstances, we decided to thread with caution so that we dont throw away the baby with the bath water,” he said.

On why the National Caucus of the party allowed Nyesom Wike into their meeting, the Minority Leader said, “The constitution of our party is very clear on who is a member and who is not a member of the caucus of the party and I dare say, at this point, that as a former governor who is still a member of the party, Nyesom Wike is a member of the National Caucus of the party.

“If actions had been taken immediately after the elections and people who are perceived to have acted contrary to the desires and yearnings of the PDP have been sanctioned, then we can say that having been expelled or suspended, you can’t be here, but as it is, non of such actions has been taken, so you can’t just ban people from attending meetings.

“One of the fallouts of the last NEC meeting was the resuscitation of the Reconciliation and Disciplinary Committee, which is saddled with the responsibility of identifying the area of antiparty and the dramatis personae involved in the activities, and recommend appropriate punitive measures against those who have been found guilty to serve as deterrent to future occurrence.

“Unfortunately, that hasn’t been done, and so to that extent, as a voluntary organization, if the members involved insist they are still members of the party, until actions are taken by the Reconciliation and Disciplinary Committe we want to take that they are still members of the party.”

On expectations from the next NEC meeting scheduled for August 15 as it concerns the position of the National Chairman of the party, Moro who noted that the party’s constitution had a well spelt out succession plan, said, “The constitution of our party has a well spelt-out succession plan. Section 35 (3C) states that where a vacancy exists, someone from the zone of the immediate past occupier of the office shall be appointed by NEC to complete the tenure of the person who vacated the office.

“For the position of the National Chairman, we will look at the succession plan of the party, in accordance with the constitutional provisions, and produce a replacement for Senator Iyorchia Ayu from North Central now that he has heeded to our plea and withdrawn his case from the court. We will go to the next NEC meeting with open minds and invoke the relevant sections of the constitution to produce his replacement.”

Senator Moro who appealed to members and stakeholders of the party to have some level of circumspection and restraints in their actions and utterances so as not to further polarize the party, assured that everything humanly possible would be done to put the party on its winning ways, to rescue Nigerians from the grinding poverty and sufferings that the ruling APC has plunged them into.