Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike; and the new national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, on Wednesday boasted of the party’s capacity to win 2023 presidency.
Wike said concerned stakeholders fought for the change of the immediate past national chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, because they wanted to reposition the party to win the presidency in 2023.
He maintained that such change of leadership at the national level was also to avert a situation of doom for the party.
Speaking at the flag-off of Oyigbo-Okoloma Road in Oyigbo Local Government Area on Wednesday, Wike said the party now has good leadership in place to rescue Nigeria from the All Progressives Congress.
A statement signed by his media aide, Kelvin Ebiri, quoted the governor as saying, “Some of us rose and said we will not wait. It doesn’t matter if the person is anybody from Rivers State or not, what’s important for us is for the PDP to have a good leadership to fight for the change of leadership in this country come 2023.”
He therefore urged the party’s new chairman, who inaugurated the road, to effect positive change in the party and return it to power.
The governor declared that the people of the state have no other party than the PDP, which is why they will not allow it to die.
He said his state was among few states in the country that denied the APC vote spread during the 2015 and 2019 general elections.
On the issue of his successor, the governor told party faithful currently consulting not to extend the consultation to the PDP national chairman or the National Working Committee of the party.
Ayu commended Wike and PDP governors for spreading development to all parts of their states.
He said while the APC-controlled government was busy borrowing money from foreign creditors and increasing the debt burden on Nigeria, PDP governors were delivering dividends of democracy.
Ayu berated APC governors, particularly, one of them who he said has abandoned his governorship responsibilities in his state to reside in Abuja.
He alleged that another one hid N19bn in the bank instead of providing development to his people.
“I’m not only proud of the governor of Rivers, I’m proud of PDP governors. Every PDP governor, with the resources base of the state, have been trying very hard to make sure that the people get the dividends of democracy.
“The other party, the governors take power as a joke. How on earth can a governor leave his state and become a party chairman and live in Abuja without making any effort to develop his state? I believe such action does not take into recognition the people who laboured to elect such a governor.
“How can a governor of a state take N19bn and go and hide in a bank account, in a state where he has not paid salaries?”
Ayu also said his leadership would ensure that it increases the number of states controlled by the PDP, produce majority membership of the National Assembly and clinch the presidency in 2023.
“The Peoples Democratic Party is prepared to expand its base, not only in control of states, but in control of the National Assembly and ultimately also the return to the Villa in Abuja where we shall put a President of PDP extraction,” he said.
