The Peoples Democratic Party has told the All Progressives Congress to take responsibility for its political dealings with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, insisting that the ruling party has no moral basis to complain about his conduct in Rivers State.
The PDP said Wike is no longer its member and accused the APC of consciously engaging him for political advantage, only to express outrage now that the relationship has become uncomfortable.
The party’s position was made known on Tuesday in Abuja by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, while reacting to the ongoing public exchange between Wike and the APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, over developments in Rivers politics.
Ememobong said the APC could not distance itself from Wike after benefitting from his political actions, stressing that the ruling party must live with the consequences of its own choices.
“The National Secretary of the APC may genuinely not know who is or is not a member of the PDP and may therefore be relying on outdated information suggesting that Wike was a PDP member,” he said.
“Wike was expelled from the PDP, along with his supporters, and that is why we sympathise with the problem the APC has brought upon itself by engaging him.
“They now lack the moral or legal standing to disown someone they willingly embraced.”
The PDP spokesman argued that the law does not permit anyone to benefit from a wrong and later complain about it, noting that the APC had voluntarily entered into the political arrangement it is now questioning.
“The law does not allow you to benefit from a wrong you created, nor can you complain of a voluntary injury. You cannot complain about an act you willingly undertook,” Ememobong said.
“What was once seen as an asset has now become a liability, and they must deal with it.”
He rejected attempts to draw the PDP into the controversy, insisting that the same conduct now being criticised was celebrated when it appeared to serve the APC’s interests.
“As for his comments, he should not drag the PDP into this. It is the same conduct he is now complaining about. When this conduct favoured the APC, they were jubilating and laughing. This same National Secretary did not complain even once,” he said.
Ememobong also questioned Basiru’s posture on the matter, urging political actors to be consistent and principled regardless of party affiliation.
“We must be able to look at issues beyond partisan lines. When something is wrong, it is wrong,” he said. “As a citizen and as the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, if someone engages in anti-party activity or aligns with another party, I will call that person out.
“Either leave that party and join another openly, or remain independent and be clear about your position.”
He maintained that whatever political benefits arose from Wike’s actions accrued solely to the APC and that the ruling party must now manage the consequences.
“What the APC is experiencing is a voluntary injury they inflicted on themselves. The benefits of this nuisance accrued to them, and they must now manage the fallout,” he said.
Using a vivid metaphor, Ememobong warned against short-term political calculations.
In his words, “This is what happens when you keep feeding a monster. One day, you become food in the belly of that monster,” he added.
“Some people think they will always escape, until the monster decides to ask what they themselves would taste like. That is the situation they now find themselves in.”