The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has sharply criticized the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) acting national chairman, Umar Damagum, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister, Nyesom Wike, for making derogatory remarks about elder statesman Edwin Clark. The IYC’s condemnation follows Clark’s call for Wike’s removal from the PDP due to alleged anti-party activities.<\/p>\n
According to a report by DAILY POST, Edwin Clark had publicly urged the PDP leadership to expel Wike from the party, accusing him of actions that undermine the organization\u2019s stability. Clark’s appeal was met with harsh responses from Damagum and Wike, prompting the IYC to defend the elder statesman.<\/p>\n
In a statement released on Thursday, Dr. Theophilus Alaye, the President of the Ijaw Youth Council, described Clark as a distinguished and courageous leader who commands respect and admiration across Nigeria, particularly among the Ijaw people and the Niger Delta region. Alaye emphasized that Clark is known for his integrity and his willingness to speak truth to power, a trait that sets him apart from many leaders.<\/p>\n
Alaye accused Damagum of collaborating with Wike in efforts to weaken the PDP from within, citing both overt and covert actions that have contributed to the party’s internal strife. He argued that Damagum’s failure to take decisive action against dissident members like Wike was indicative of a broader agenda to destabilize the party.<\/p>\n
“If the acting national chairman were truly concerned about the PDP’s poor electoral performance since 2015, he would have taken swift and severe measures to remove individuals like Wike who have consistently acted against the party’s interests,” Alaye asserted.<\/p>\n
Alaye further stated that Damagum\u2019s recent criticisms of Clark reveal a lack of genuine commitment to rebuilding and strengthening the PDP as the leading opposition party, capable of regaining power at the national level. He expressed disappointment that instead of fostering unity and discipline within the party, Damagum seems more interested in defending those who have acted to its detriment.<\/p>\n
The IYC also issued a stern rebuke to Nyesom Wike, reminding him of the support he has received from the Ijaw people throughout his political career. Alaye noted that the Ijaws played a significant role in Wike’s political rise, and that his current actions are a betrayal of their trust.<\/p>\n
“Wike should be grateful to the Ijaws for the political support that propelled him to prominence. If we had known him to be an ingrate, we would not have supported him in the first place. His actions now reveal his true character,” Alaye stated.<\/p>\n
The IYC President also highlighted the contradictions in Wike\u2019s political behavior, pointing out that Wike, as Governor of Rivers State, had been a vocal critic of former President Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and even President Bola Tinubu. However, Wike\u2019s acceptance of a ministerial role under the APC government, which he once condemned, raises serious questions about his integrity and loyalty.<\/p>\n
“Wike\u2019s acceptance of a ministerial appointment from the same party he vehemently criticized during the 2023 presidential election speaks volumes about his low moral standing. It is a clear demonstration of political opportunism and a lack of principles,” Alaye concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has sharply criticized the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) acting national chairman, Umar Damagum, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister, Nyesom Wike, for making derogatory remarks about elder statesman Edwin Clark. The IYC’s condemnation follows Clark’s call for Wike’s removal from the PDP due to alleged anti-party activities. According to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":44879,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44877"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44877\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44895,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44877\/revisions\/44895"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}