Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State, claims that rent-seekers inside the PDP have thwarted his attempts to reach a peaceful conclusion to the crisis engulfing the party.
But the governor stated that no one could persuade him to change his mind about giving Southern Nigeria the PDP’s national chairmanship.
Wike made this statement while hosting Cross River State PDP candidates for governor, senator, house of representatives, house of assembly, and local government party chairmen on Wednesday night at his private villa in Rumueprikom.
This was said in a statement provided to journalists on Thursday afternoon by Kelvin Ebiri, the governor’s special assistant for media.
According to the governor, calls for the PDP chairman to be zoned to the South would continue until justice, fairness, and equity rule the PDP.
Wike stated “This is the period that power game is being played. If you don’t have it now, forget it. If anybody tells you, let (Iyorchia) Ayu resign after an election is conducted, then you are a foolish person.
“This is the time decision is being made. This is the time the presidential candidate, national chairman, and the leader of the campaign will sit, when the election is won in February before the president is sworn in, decisions would have been made.”
Prior to the general elections in 2023, the governor announced that he had started running for office full-time. He added that anyone attempting to unseat him and his allies would be doing so at their own risk.
The governor explained that some vested interests, whom he referred to as “hyenas and rent seekers,” had remained obstinate and opposed to justice, fairness, and equity in the party during the meeting, which was attended by the party’s South-South National Vice Chairman, Chief Dan Orbih.
The statement read, “We have finished Presidential primaries, we have a Presidential candidate. Is Wike saying to remove the Presidential candidate?
“Is Wike saying remove the vice Presidential candidate? So, what are you begging me for? All I am saying, and I will continue to say is that you have taken president, give us (national) chairman.
“Nobody wants to speak the truth. If I am saying remove the Presidential candidate, if I am saying remove the vice presidential candidate, then you will say why is he doing this.”
When the PDP Presidential candidate, national chairman, and Director General of the Presidential campaign council are all from the north, Wike insisted that he cannot be persuaded to uphold the status quo.
He claimed that keeping the national chairmanship from the South would only lead to conflict.
“He (national chairman) said, if the Presidential candidate comes from the north, he will resign, which means he has had this in mind. Now, the thing has come to reality, now resign, no. And people are saying go and talk to Wike.
“I’ve accepted the Presidential candidate, I have accepted the vice Presidential candidate, what’s the problem again? You fulfill your part. Let the South have something, that is all I’m preaching.
“You cannot have Presidential candidate, national chairman, Director General of the campaign,” the governor said.
