•••SAYS FIGHT FOR FAIRNESS MUST BE PURSUED TO LOGICAL CONCLUSION
Fred Harrison, Abuja
The Governor of Rivers State Nyesom Wike, on Thursday reacted to the decision of the National Executive Council of the People’s Democratic Party to pass a vote of confidence of the party’s National Chairman, Iyiocha Ayu.
The NEC’s decision on the vexed issue follows the resignation of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees Senator Walid Jibrin and his replacement by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara.
The vote of confidence on Ayu was a clear statement from the highest organ of the PDP that Ayu would not resign his position to the chargrin of the Wike group.
Wike and some leaders of the party have insisted that Ayu should step down as National Chairman of the party
with the emergence of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the party’s Presidential Candidate.
It is the contention of the Wike group that it constitutes an aberration for the Presidential Candidate and the National Chairman to come from the same zone.
Both Atiku and Ayu are from the North leaving the South at a disadvantage.
But while the NEC meeting was ongoing, Wike spoke in Ahoada, Rivers State that he and his group would pursue the struggle for fairness, justice and adherence to the party’s constitution to the end.
He explained that it has not happened in the history of the PDP that both the Presidential Candidate and the National Chairman would come from the same zone.
He stressed that it is the practice that the Chairman and the Candidate would determine who gets what.
Wike said that the duo has already gives the Senate Presidency to somebody whose name he did not mention saying they will never get Rivers votes when nothing comes to the State.
He said, “The chairman and candidate who has emerged are those who will sit down, and talk about who does what and what goes where. They’ve already taken a decision on who will be senate president. Which one have they given you? They want to take our votes, no way.
“So forget about those hungry people who will never be satisfied. You know there are people that no matter how they eat, their stomach will protrude from it, they can never be satisfied.
“Those are the people now hanging out in Abuja, as you see them now. They’ll go to somebody’s house and say please put me in the campaign council. What is campaign? What will it give you? Nothing!.
“So, let nobody deceive you and say, must Wike be the president? We have finished that area. Nobody’s talking about that, we are talking about structure of the country, how it should be. That’s why in APC, the presidential candidate is from where? – the South, The chairman is from where? – the North because the presidential candidate must always discuss with chairman of the party , he must.
“It has never happened in our party, where the chairman of the party and the presidential candidate has come from one place, because we know the role of each. So people should forget talking about Wike. Why not do the right thing so he can sleep well and wake up tomorrow…”
Wike challenged his party members talking about the interest of Nigeria to start with obeying the constitution of the party.
He said that the fight is not about him but about justice and fairness which must be pushed to the end.
“You know, I don’t know how people who use Nigerians, and when we are talking, they say it’s for the interest of Nigerians, I say who?, Who defines the interest of Nigerians, you? , You that refused to obey even the constitution of your party, are you speaking for the interest of Nigeria? For you to talk about the interest of Nigeria, start from home , Charity begins at home. You cannot disobey your own constitution, because you claimed their majority, and then you come out and tell Nigerians, “I’m speaking for your own interest”, you’re a liar, you’re a big liar.
“I didn’t become the governor just like that, everybody knew the struggle. We struggled for it and with God l on our side, we are here. There’s nothing that we’ve not done to make us not to survive.
“Since 2015, have we not survived?. See what we’re doing, because God has always been on our side.
“So I want to advise you, nobody should be afraid. Because this war, we will fight it to the end, justice must be done, it is not about Wike but about the survival of the People’s Democratic Party.” He added
Meanwhile, the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal has resigned his position resigned in Abuja as the Chairman of the PDP Governor’s Forum on Thursday at National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja.
He was replaced with Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, one of Wike’s top allies who was with him on a Thursday at Ahoada, when he spoke.
