Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed claims by the Emeka Beke-led faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State that a recent Court of Appeal judgment invalidated decisions taken by the party’s leadership, including the primaries that produced its candidates. Wike, who also defended his recent remarks on the protest by members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) over the abduction of teachers and students in the Federal Capital Territory, insisted that insecurity should not be politicised.
Speaking during a tour of road projects in Abuja, the former Rivers State governor described Beke’s interpretation of the appellate court judgment as misguided and uninformed, maintaining that the ruling was limited to issues surrounding the party’s congresses and had no bearing on APC primaries. The minister was reacting to comments credited to the Beke faction following the Court of Appeal judgment, in which it claimed that all decisions taken by the Tony Okocha-led APC leadership in Rivers State had been nullified and that candidates produced by the party had been removed.
Wike rejected the claims, arguing that the faction lacked a proper understanding of the court’s decision. “Ask him what the court said and whether the state carried out any primaries. State chapters do not conduct primaries. Primaries are conducted by the National Working Committee of the party,” he said. According to him, the dispute originated from an ex parte order obtained at a state high court to stop the conduct of congresses for the election of state party officers. He explained that the party challenged the order and approached the Court of Appeal on the grounds that the lower court lacked jurisdiction. However, the appellate court held that the matter should return to the state high court for determination.
“What happened is that when the national leadership directed that congresses be conducted to elect state officers, they rushed to court and obtained an ex parte order. The party appealed, but the Court of Appeal said the state high court had jurisdiction and should conclude the matter,” he said. Wike noted that the substantive case remained unresolved and had yet to be reassigned following the death of the judge who initially handled it. He maintained that nothing in the judgment invalidated the APC primaries or affected candidates produced through the process.
The minister further criticised Beke’s comments on the issue, saying they reflected ignorance of both the legal process and party procedures. “He said they have sacked them, as if he employed them. He does not know the difference between sacking someone and a situation where a party decides to cancel a primary. Unfortunately, he does not know what he is talking about,” Wike stated.
On the controversy generated by his recent remarks during a protest by teachers over the abduction of their colleagues and students in the FCT, Wike said he stood by his comments that insecurity should not be subjected to political manipulation. The minister had come under criticism from some quarters after suggesting that the protest was being politicised. However, he insisted that his position had been misunderstood. “People do not like hearing the truth. Nobody said we are not concerned about the kidnapping of teachers or the activities of bandits and terrorists. Security is a concern for everybody, not just teachers, lawyers or medical doctors,” he said.
