Group berates Wike, says Atiku better off with Delta governor as running mate

A political pressure group, Deltans Life Matters, has called on the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to move on and not allow Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike or anyone to distract the party ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The group, while describing the Rivers governor as a “talkative,” berated him over his alleged demand for the removal of Senator Iyorchia Ayu as National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The group in a statement by its Global Coordinator, Mr. Moses Abeh, accused the governor of plotting the removal of Uche Secondus as National Chairman after he felt that the latter was not doing his bidding enough.

The statement reads, “The PDP 2022 Presidential Primary has come and gone and a winner has emerged. The winner, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has also selected his running mate in the person of Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa. Yet, one person who has continued to make a mountain out of a mole hill is Nyesom Wike, the current Governor of Rivers State.

“In spite of concerted efforts by the party to mend fences with him based on his perceived grievances he has continued to carry on as though he is a political deity, that must be begged or worshipped. At the top of his demands for reconciliation is that the National chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu must go.

“We recall that some years ago he brought in Uche Secondus as National Chairman and after a while plotted his removal because he perceived him as not doing his bidding enough.

“Wike again went after Markafi’s jugular and now Ayu. This Wike’s penchant to personalize the party is indeed the beginning of party dictatorship if not checked now.

“One excuse often given by Wike to lord it over others in the party is that when the party was down he literally and personally funded the party and he should be rewarded for this sacrifice.

“It is also pitiable that the Governor of Abia state, Okezie Ikpeazu who is superintending over a failed state should be junketting round the world with Governor Wike like an ‘Executive House boy’ rather than go and fix the myriad problems facing his state.

“Wike has by his body language, utterances and actions demonstrated that he is bigger than the party and even bigger than the Presidential and vice Presidential candidates of the Party. It is disgusting that Wike who is relatively younger than Ayu will treat the National Chairman with brazen disrespect by asking him to step down saying that the ‘Children brought him to power’.

“We strongly urge the PDP to move on and disallow anyone from becoming a distraction. Many PDP stalwarts have tried by talking to Governor Wike to shelve his grievance and work for the success of the party but he has not said anything substantially different.

“The people who are goading him on from agreeing to reconciliation do not have the interest of Nigeria at heart and the PDP should take note of them as moles now as they could connive with other parties to undo the PDP at the 2023 Presidential polls.

“With the benefit of hindsight Nigerians will agree that Nyesom Wike’s uncompromising stance, his garrulity, and his talkativeness would have made him an unsuitable Vice President.

“In contrast, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa is level headed, brilliant, taciturn, and politically very savvy. All the people including Governor Samuel Ortom who did not support Dr. Okowa initially for the position of Vice Presidential candidate are now beginning to see Dr Okowa’s good traits.

“The bottom line is that Atiku Abubakar couldn’t have made a better choice of his running mate. It behooves the PDP to put all these temporary issues behind and work for the success of the 2023 Presidential election.

“The APC has already made a fatal mistake in his Presidential Muslim-Muslim ticket thus paving way for the PDP to reclaim its Presidential mandate which was taken from her through blackmail and intimidation in 2015.

“As for the other state Governors who are cashing out heavily from Rivers State money through Governor Wike, it is time to tell him the truth if you people truly love him. All the monies he has been spending before, during, and after the presidential primaries can go a long way in paying Rivers workers.

“We call on Governor Nyesom Wike to tow the honourable path of RT Hon. Rotimi Amaechi who entered his house quietly after losing the presidential primaries of his party than insulting his party leaders and those not on the same page with him publicly on a daily basis.