Wike inspects PDP convention venue, says party remains vibrant

Barr. Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), says the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will demonstrate that the party remains vibrant and ready for resurgence.

Wike spoke on Sunday after inspecting the convention venue at the velodrome of the Moshood Abiola national stadium in Abuja.

The minister conducted the inspection shortly after hosting party stakeholders, saying preparations for the event have been completed.

He said: “For me, this is a job well done; you can see we are not over-decorating; this is what they call ‘proper arrangement’.

“I’m sure that Nigerians will be happy with what they’ll see; it will be a testimony that Nigerians will say, ‘Indeed, PDP has come back.’

“For this convention that is well organised, that will give them the impression that we are prepared for the future, and I’m happy that all those concerned have put in their efforts and commitment to see that the convention becomes a reality.”

Wike said security arrangements had been put in place to ensure a peaceful exercise, noting that the presence of security personnel around the venue showed that adequate preparations had been made.

He said: “Coming here again, I can see a lot of presence of security men; that shows a lot of things have been taken into consideration. As you’re coming in, you’ll see the presence of security personnel.

“We are here to organise our own convention the way conventions are supposed to be organised. We will have a hitch-free convention.

“We have taken notice of some people who may be very funny; things like this, you may see some people who may be paid to cause one form of confusion or the other. We’ve taken notice of that, and I can tell you security agencies are up to the task.”

More than 2,000 delegates from the 36 states of the federation are expected to attend the convention.