Adeleke Knocks Wike, Insists Party Affairs Are Beyond Judicial Interference
…Accuses FCT minister of destabilising party, says Supreme Court bars judicial intrusion into party affairs.
Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dare Adeleke, has strongly criticised the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, accusing him of working against the interests of the party and attempting to destabilise its internal structures.
In a statement issued from Ibadan, Adeleke alleged that Wike is attempting to exert influence over both the PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing such actions as unprecedented in Nigeria’s political history, claimed that Wike’s continued involvement in PDP affairs is inconsistent with decisions taken at the party’s national level.
Adeleke recalled that Wike, alongside some of his political allies, was expelled from the PDP following resolutions reached at a national convention.
He said it was therefore inappropriate for the former Rivers governor to challenge or seek to override decisions of the party’s National Convention by allegedly promoting parallel structures or gatherings.
The PDP chieftain further accused Wike of openly declaring his intention to deliver the PDP to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a claim Adeleke said has deepened resentment against him among party members, particularly in Rivers State.
Reacting to a recent court judgment concerning the PDP National Convention held in Ibadan, Adeleke dismissed the ruling as irrelevant and lacking legal weight argued that the judiciary has no constitutional authority to interfere in the internal affairs of political parties.
According to him, the Supreme Court has consistently held that matters relating to party leadership, internal administration, and the management of party organs are domestic issues to be resolved internally by political parties without judicial intervention.
“The courts have repeatedly affirmed that they must not descend into the political arena by managing or restructuring political parties,” Adeleke stated, adding that any judgment to the contrary would not be accepted by the PDP.
He also warned judicial officers to resist alleged attempts by political actors to use the courts for what he described as anti-democratic purposes.
Adeleke reiterated that Wike no longer has any standing within the PDP and should stop presenting himself as a member of the party.
He insisted that the party would resist any further attempts to interfere in its internal processes.
The statement with a call for the protection of Nigeria’s democratic institutions from political manipulation.
