The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, says the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which commenced today will show that the opposition party is still viable and alive.

Mr Wike made this known during an inspection of the convention venue, after hosting party stakeholders in Abuja ahead of the exercise.

The minister, in statement by his spokesperson, Lere Olayinka, on Sunday, assured that necessary arrangements had been concluded for a successful convention, urging delegates to maintain peace and order before, during and after the event.

Mr Wike stated, “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 has put in their efforts and commitment to see that the convention becomes a reality.”

The statement added that
over 2,000 delegates from across the 36 states would converge on the Velodrome at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, for the exercise.

Stressing the importance of discipline and unity in ensuring a hitch-free process, Mr Wike stated that arrangement had been made to ensure adequate security at the venue.

He stated, “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 presence of security agents.

“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.”

The minister advised delegates to be calm, orderly and support what the committees had done.

Mr Wike’s statement came amid crisis in the PDP, forcing the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the party to appeal the recent Court of Appeal judgment at the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, the minister on Friday said the party had agreed to engage aggrieved members to understand their grievances as the party wrapped up preparations for its national convention scheduled for March 29 and 30.