Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State has said it is not yet time for the Peoples Democratic Party to play a strong opposition.
Fintiri who made this known while speaking during a 30-minute interview with Trust Television, said it is still early for the current administration of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to be criticized.
When he was asked why PDP is very weak and cannot play a strong opposition, Fintiri said: “If you are talking about playing a viral opposition, it is still early. This government needs to be given time. We are in multiple crises in this country, so we should not be boxing or putting every government into a corner. That cannot work for the national interest.
“We should also be having it at the back of our minds that there’s time to play politics and time for governance.”
While speaking about the crisis in the party, Fintiri said the party is still waxing stronger.
“The PDP is waxing very well, as far as I am concerned.”
“We don’t have a crisis. The chairman is out because he had a crisis with his ward who removed him as a member of the party, which also affected his position.
“But our constitution is very robust enough to have created a fielding gap, which the deputy national chairman, North, has fielded; and he has been doing very well.”
Also speaking on Wike taking an appointment with the government of the All Progressives Congress, Fintiri said, “I think it did not start with Wike; it started since the coming of this democracy in 1999.
“In the past, a lot of members of the All Peoples Party (APP), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) had taken appointment in the government that invited them to serve. At the moment we are not talking about election, we are talking about governance and national unity. I think that is what informed Wike’s decision to accept the position he is occupying today. The man has never said he has jettisoned the PDP. He is still a member of the party.”
Speaking further on whether Wike took up the appointment to remain relevant and be controlling Rivers State, the Adamawa governor said:
“He doesn’t want to control anything. His community asked him to accept the appointment. He has the endorsement of his ward, local government and his state.
“He is still working in the interest of the PDP. He has said it times without number that he is only serving in the government of national unity.”
When he was asked if there is no disciplinary issue with Wike’s case, the governor said: “There’s none because I don’t think he has done any harm. He still attends PDP meetings.”
