Enyinnaya Abaribe, the Senator representing Abia South in the National Assembly has described the five aggrieved governors of the Peoples Democratic Party as “gang of comedians moving from state to state”
Abaribe was reacting to the claims by Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike he lacks integrity.
Wike said the Senator came to him, threatening to leave PDP and when asked what he wanted, he said he needs funds.
Speaking at the flag-off of the Abia governorship campaign and other elective positions in Umuahia on Thursday, Wike who came along with members of his G-5, popularly known as Integrity Governors urged the people of Abia South not to vote for the Senator again, saying a person who lacks integrity cannot represent a people.
Wike said, “Today we commissioned a road in Obingwa local government and I am sure that person is from Obingwa local government.
“I don’t want to tell you what I did, he promised me that he will not leave PDP, and I came and told your governor, your brother said he will not leave PDP.
“And I said, what do we do, he said he needs some money, we gave him the money today, three days time, he left the PDP. Do they have integrity?”
But speaking in an interview on Arise TV on Friday, Abaribe denied collecting money from Wike.
He also challenged Wike and other aggrieved PDP members to leave the party and test their political relevance in other parties instead of undermining the PDP.
He said “I left the PDP because I wanted to prove a point and that point is that if I feel that I could no longer work within the PDP because of the way they are doing their own thing, I walk away to show people are the ones who put me in office and not the rubricks of a party.
“So, if governor Wike and his gang of comedians who are running around from state to state feel that they are aggrieved with PDP, let them walk away and go and test that their popularity outside.
“That is what you do as a man; that is what you do as someone who has integrity. You cannot sit inside the party and be mouthing integrity, and claim that you are PDP.
“You come to Umuahia and claim that you have given flags to the governorship candidate and all the candidates and you are not the party chairman. Is Wike the party chairman of PDP?
“You undermine your party; if you have respect for yourself, if you feel that you have integrity, walk away”.
The Senator also expressed optimism that the Bimodal Voter Identification System will change the way elections will be conducted in 2023.
