RIVERS State Governor, Nyesom Wike, masterminded the opening of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential contest, against the popular wish of micro-zoning to the Southeast.
According to the spokesman of the party’s presidential campaign council, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, Wike influenced the zoning committee, headed by his friend and ally, Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, to open the contest, thinking he could muscle every one to win.
Speaking on a television programme, Aniagwu, who is also Delta State Commissioner for information, said the ongoing crisis in the party was caused by Wike’s ambition to be President, insisting that the governor’s anger at the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, is misplaced because his friend, Ortom was the chairman of PDP zoning committee just before the primary election was conducted and it was not Atiku who made the contest open for aspirants, but Ortom.
“In our quest for peace, we have allowed the danger of the single story to persist. When the party set up a zoning committee, it was headed by Ortom and a member of the G-5 Governors. The committee threw the ticket open for the best to emerge and Atiku was considered the most qualified to lead Nigeria’s rescue and rebuilding mission.
“When the issue of zoning was discussed, Atiku was interested in micro-zoning to the Southeast, but it was the same Wike that frustrated it, because he wanted to contest. It was not Atiku that made the zoning open to people to just go and contest. In this case, there was a contest between the South and the North, and Atiku was considered by members of the party as the man capable of leading Nigerians out of the woods.
“I think oftentimes we undermine the value of our prayers as Nigerians. From the actions of Wike, you will know that the prayers of Nigerians are working, because if in just Rivers State, you are subjecting everybody to the kind of torture we are seeing, which we never saw under military rule, imagine if he is in charge of the military.”
On calls for disciplinary measures against the G-5 Governors, Aniagwu said the party was taking its time to ensure that all avenues for peace and compromise were explored, adding: “I know many people are wondering why the party is keeping quiet and neglecting the actions of Wike and others. This is because the party wants to exhaust all avenues of ensuring that these individuals realise that the party has been able to bring them up to speed.
“Without the PDP, these individuals creating this crisis, where will they be? So, when individuals begin to progress along this line and think that the rest of us don’t matter, you begin to wonder what their calculation is.”
He said the party would continue to appeal to the G-5 Governors to return home and join hands in the rescue mission project, saying: “We do hope that the G-5 Governors return home, but while we await their return, we will continue to engage Nigerians, because that is where the power resides.
“Our candidate is very busy interfacing with Nigerians and we will continue to plead with Wike and accord him the respect he deserves as a governor and a great leader in our party.
“The very disturbing economic and security situation in the country is enough for any leader to sheathe his sword and help in taking decisions that can help the country to navigate through the very murky waters.
“That a man suffered defeat in a party primary that was very creditably organised is one thing to which we don’t understand the extent to which he is taking this fight,” Aniagwu stated.
