By Ayo Kehinde
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has made further disclosure about his permutation for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2023 election, his deals with the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu and his group’s demand for the resignation of the embattled National Chairman of the PDP, Iyorchia Ayu.
Speaking during a live media chat on Friday morning, the governor who has been aggrieved over the way he lost out in the opposition party’s presidential election and had formed a gang of four sympathetic governors to press his demand for Ayu to go for there to be peace in the party, said if the party fails to heal the crisis in the party, it maybe unable to sack the governing APC despite the latter’s inadequacies.
According to him, “If my party takes the advantage of what is happening now, they’ll win. If my party fails to use the opportunity Nigerians have given us, they will pay dearly for it.”
When asked about his support for the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar, Wike who had accused the candidate of promising him that Ayu would go on the sidelines of the end of the party’s convention which Atiku won, he answered: “You are asking which presidential candidate I support for 2023? Which party am I? You can’t be seeing me, a leader of PDP today, and be asking me which candidate I am supporting. That question does not arise.”
On Ayu, Wike who also ran for the PDP presidential ticket and came second behind Atiku, said the National Chariman was eying the post of Secretary to Government of the Federation position should the party win the 2023 presidential election.
This, he alleged, may be contributing to his hold on the chairmanship position and his insistence not to resign from office to ensure equity and justice,
“If Nigerians hear a lot of things going on now in the party that wants to take over the reign of power they will shake their heads,” Wike said during a media parley held in Port Harcourt on Friday, adding that; “You see when we talked about Ayu, it seems people don’t know what is involved. Ayu wants to be in power. So that he will be there and if we (PDP) win (presidential election), he wants the Secretary to the Government of the Federation position. You know these positions have been shared and then they are talking to ‘small boys’ like us to play along like we don’t know what is going on.
He said,“I didn’t contest so I can become a vice presidential candidate. I am not like others who were not serious and bought senatorial form alongside presidential form and that’s why when Tinubu offered me senate slot, I didn’t go for it,’’
“Aside from Tinubu, who is from the APC, other political parties are talking to me as well including Labour Party because they all know my worth and how I can ensure that they win the 2023 poll. But I have not accepted any of the offers presented by those parties.”
This is as the governor boasted that though no one was above the party, those who left the party during the height of its crisis in 2014/2015 cannot suspend him.
When asked about his possible suspension for anti-party activities, Wike said, “Who will suspend me? The party? Which party? PDP? No problem. Look at the wahala (problem) you (PDP) are already carrying. They (PDP) can go ahead.
“What I am saying is that if we misused this opportunity Nigerians are giving us, we will pay dearly for it. For me, everything must be done to make sure the right is done for us to get the support of Nigeria. But if we continue this way, we are going for a shocker, and that I can tell you.
He said the crisis in the main opposition party was more than what was being reported in the media and for the sake of peace, he won’t divulge critical information to the public.
“I believed justice, fairness, and equity should be allowed for our party to progress. That is when our party can stand as a party that wants to take over the reign of affairs of this country,” he said.
Wike added, “Nigerians should even thank us that we are pushing our party to let the world not think that some of the people (PDP members) behaving around are the people to lead them but to know that there are people who still believe in equity, justice, and fairness in the PDP.”
Wike maintained that he won’t be defecting to any other party but he would ensure that justice was done and the chairmanship position moved to the South.
“If I want power or want to be in power, I would have gone ahead to take the senatorial ticket (offer). But I said no. That is a man who believes in equity, fairness, and justice. So the analysis does not rhyme at all,” the governor said.
