Again, Clark Writes PDP, Seeks Punitive Action Against Wike Over Rivers Crisis 

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

Foremost Ijaw national leader, Chief Edwin Clark, Tuesday wrote another letter to the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), seeking a thorough probe of the alleged anti-party activities of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over the political crisis rocking Rivers State.

Clark, a former minister of information in the defunct First Republic, insisted in the third letter to the PDP that if found guilty, Wike should be expelled from the party. 

He expressed the fears that the PDP was on the verge of extinction if the former Rivers State governor remains in the party with his alleged excesses.

In the letter he addressed to the PDP Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Illiya Damagum, dated 20th August, 2024, Clark said the National Working Committee (NWC) must take a decisive action against Wike to safe the party.

He also said something has to be done to tame characters who see themselves to be above the law, before they will grow too monstrous to be tamed. 

He accused Damagum of allegedly condoning the excesses of Wike by taking legal actions against some leaders of the party.

“We already have enough issues on our hands as a nation, because the persons responsible did not act fast when the cases were brewing,” he added.

Clark said: “The purpose of this Open Letter, therefore, Mr. Acting National Chairman of PDP is to call on you to immediately set up a probe panel/committee to probe members like Barr. Nyesom Wike, and if found guilty, to face the appropriate sanctions as prescribed by the party’ s constitution.

“It is not the setting up of a Reconciliation Committee under the chairmanship of Maj. Gen. Oyinlola, with whom when I discussed, asked him whom he is reconciling, because the G-5, members have disintegrated. 

“While the governor of Oyo State, who was a member of the G-5, has retraced his steps back to his party fully, and today leader of the party in the South-west, the other three are floating about.

“To urge you to also purge yourself of all malfeasance. As Acting National Chairman of your party, you took your party’ s NWC to court on the defection of the 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

“This is  because they did not leave the PDP properly, they are still members of the party, even after the 27 members had publicly declared that they have defected and had already been received by the APC. 

“Your position Mr. Acting National Chairman is antithetical to the position of Section 109 of the constitution.

“You took your party’s NEC to court, an organ you preside over. Yet you still have the presence of mind to remain in office, earning benefits that come with the office. 

“From all indications, you are conniving with detractors of PDP to ruin the party, for the All Progressives Congress (APC). Allow Nigerians to decide what party they want through the ballot box. 

“Stop colluding with Barr. Nyesom Wike to destroy the party. A day of reckoning will come for all of man’s activities.

“I wish and pray that you will not sell your soul and conscience for pecuniary and worldly gains, otherwise you, Barr Wike and your cohorts will be consumed by the Rivers State crisis. 

“Therefore, let me state again, set up a probe panel to investigate the obvious and open anti-party activities of Barr. Nyesom Wike and for insulting the foremost leader of the party, Senator Adolphus Wabara, Chairman, Board of the Trustees of the party, which is the soul of the party. 

“In fact, he should be expelled from the party for his crime against the party. I also wish to use this medium to call on all responsible and reasonable PDP party elders and members to take a bold step to flush out Barrister Wike from the party. He is not above the party. He should be expelled from it.”