A former lawmaker representing the Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the 8th National Assembly, Senator Shehu Sani has noted that the emergence of Nyesome Wike as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory is a receipt of the proverbial 30 Shekels of Silver from President Bola Tinubu for betraying his party and its presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections.
Sani also described the presence of the former Governor of Rivers State in the ruling party as the ‘hand of Esau’.in the PDP and the ‘voice of Jacob’ urged him to quit the PDP because of distrust.
According to the Kaduna-based politician, this will give Wike the opportunity to work excellently for President Tinubu as the FCT Minister and without distractions.
Sani argued that it would be honourable for the politician to exit the PDP so that it can effectively play its role as the main opposition party in the current political dispensation in the country.
The vocal northern senator stated these in an exclusive interview with Arewa Punch, adding, “Asiwaju (President) wants to send a message that he does not betray those who work for his own emergence.
“As long as Wike remains in the PDP, it won’t be a relevant party because it will never be relevant in its scheme of opposition. Because they will control the structure of the party and ensure that whoever will emerge will not be a serious threat to the APC.
“PDP is still afraid of taking action against those who undermined its victory and it will confine it to irrelevance as far as it has no punishment for anti-party elements because as long as there are people who have one leg in the PDP and one in APC, PDP will never fly and nobody is going to take the PDP seriously as far as party politics is concerned.
“Once it has become the appendage of the APC because for Wike to remain in the PDP, is to make sure it never plays the role of an opposition party. He is the hand of Esau in PDP, the voice of Jacob in APC,” he remarked.
Continuing, he stressed, “My own advice is for Nyesome Wike to simply decamp to APC where he will be able to serve the party and also leave PDP to claim its role as an opposition.
“It will be more respectable for him to join the APC and work without being distrusted by both sides because if he continues to divide his legs between the APC and the PDP, he will live as a very confuse, disorganise man with an unstable political career. “So, as far as I am concerned, he has a lot to deliver. As Minister of FCT, I have no doubt about his capacity as a performer. One that will bring sanity to Abuja and so many changes, but he is still being seen as a Judas and the position is occupying is his own 30 pieces of silver and that is not a good position.
“The best thing is for him to decamp so that he can work very well for President Bola Tinubu and also for the APC.”
Sani observed that with the current political situation in the country, the main opposition party had found itself in an “uncomfortable” position of not being able to deal with those who worked against its electoral victory in the 2023 general elections.
“There’s is no doubt about it. Wike and his colleagues, their actions after losing the presidential primaries seriously undermined the presidential ambition of Atiku Abubakar and also the chances of the party.
“So, they are people who have betrayed their party and have now found camp. Wike was a man who described PDP’s problem as malaria and APC’s problem as cancer but has now found himself in a cancerous position.
“As far as I am concerned, I think the PDP has to choose where it wants to be in the history of Nigeria’s politics at this time.
“Does it want to be a strong opposition party that would stand up to the excesses and brigandage and the antics of the APC? Or does it want to be a subordinate of the APC because if those who betrayed or undermined the party are allowed to go scout free, it is encouraging each and every person to do that,” he added.
Sani insisted that an opposition party must be distinct in its position, principle, and stance and also sustain its focus as far as the country is concerned, otherwise, the Labour Party might take the shine off the party and play the role of the real opposition party to the APC.
“PDP has lost power to APC, and it is now losing the role of the opposition to the Labour Party. If you look at what is happening, most of the attacks and counterattacks are coming from the APC and the LP.
“So, it has reached a point that even most members of APC don’t consider PDP as a serious opposition. The PDP has lost power to APC, and it is losing its position of the opposition to the Labour Party and that will be a death sentence for the party if things progress along this line,” Sani declared.
