By Abdulsamad Abdulmalik
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Friday revealed that the Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, visited him to request the postponement of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national convention.
Wike disclosed this during his monthly media chat in Abuja, stating that Mohammed urged him to put the convention on hold to allow aggrieved members of the party engage in dialogue.
According to the minister, the Bauchi governor reached out through his Aide-de-Camp (ADC) and later visited his residence for a late-night meeting.
He said, “Bala Mohammed contacted my ADC and said he wanted to see me. I told him I was not in town at the time but would get back to him when I returned.
“I later called him and explained there might be a delay as I had to receive Mr President at the airport. Around 11 p.m., he came to my house and we had a discussion. He suggested that we should put off the convention to allow for wider consultations.”
Wike, however, said he rejected the proposal, insisting that postponing the convention would be inappropriate under the circumstances.
“I told him that would be wrong. You cannot take certain steps and expect others to follow suit. A court had advised against holding the convention, and a committee you constituted made recommendations which were ignored,” he said.
The former Rivers State governor maintained that despite the crisis rocking the PDP, reconciliation among members remains achievable.
“Politics is like football; it is not difficult to reconcile. We have had our differences, but it is not too late. The PDP is still a viable platform capable of making an impact,” he added.
Wike further expressed readiness to work towards resolving internal disputes within the party, stressing the need for unity ahead of future political engagements.
The PDP has been embroiled in internal wrangling in recent months, with divisions among key stakeholders over leadership and party structure.
