Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike has asked the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP’s National Working Committee to support his aspiration to be the presidential flagbearer of the party even as he reminded them the roles he played on their emergence as members of the NWC.
Wike also warned the party leadership not to include party members who are supporters of any of the presidential aspirants in the convention of the party to avoid litigation.
Speaking at the National secretariat of the party, Tuesday, the Rivers state governor said, “it is important I take this opportunity and let you know that I am prepared. Psychologically, mentally and in all aspects, I’m very much prepared. So let us not waste time. Go and tell our people that you have seen the right person and the right person is Wike.
“So it is important you do the campaign for me, that was how I did it for you too. When I was fighting the former NWC, some of you were supporting them. Now all of you are here.
“One good turn deserves another. So you people should also pay back. Because you didn’t go to campaign, but now am coming to campaign, so pay back. But please do us the favor to conduct a free and fair election, that will be an advantage for us to win in 2023.”
The atmosphere was however fouled as electricity power failed during the entire duration of the meeting, a development which Wike suspects was a sabotage.
According to him, “1 hope there was no sabotage and if there was no sabotage, and we want to take over from the APC, we must have to be ready. This is a part of what we are talking about. If you are in charge of the secretariat, and the secretary does not know that there is no fuel; then it is also a failure on the part of the secretariat. So, Mr. Secretary, I hope your boys did not sabotage us and if they did, they will only be held responsible for not doing their job very well.”
Speaking on consensus agenda of the party, the governor said, “When we did our convention in 2018 about 10 people contested. There was no consensus. Why are they talking about consensus now?
“The Primary was quite open, you know I supported Aminu Tambuwal, I have no regrets, I didn’t support Atiku, But when Tambuwal lost, I carried Atiku’s campaign on my head, that is what it’s supposed to be.
“I don’t believe in these people going around on consensus. I told them that their consensus move is shine shine bobo, the more you look, the less you see. I said I’m not going to buy it. It will not work and I’m not a party to it.
“I believe in consensus, but based on equity, justice and fairness. But not consensus by those who have conspired, they think they can bring me in, but nobody can bring me into it.
“This election is a determinant for us, it is to determine our history. Look at the convention we did in 2018. It was acknowledged by the international community, look at the convention that brought you people in, it was acknowledged by everybody.
“I want to please advise, do not make any mistake. What will people say, that the NWC is trying to favour an aspirant over others? This will destroy the party.
“I therefore appeal again that you must not make the mistake of putting people who are obviously supporting me or any of the aspirants in the convention. If you do that, then some of us will challenge you. So, do something that all aspirants will be happy with.
“But if you do anything short of credible and transparent convention, it will be a shame. After we have done 2018, after we have done the convention that brought you in, then you should do a better convention as members of NWC.
“I will also advise, that this time we are in, it is a litigation period. There is no election where you don’t see litigation, there is none. It will come. So that we don’t run into problems again, you should try as much as you can if you can not vacate such an order, try as much as you can to assign people and settle it. There is no issue that can not be resolved if you are open and transparent.”
But responding, National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu told the aspirant that he can’t be asking for a level playing field and at thesame time canvasing vote from NWC members. He also assured him that the party is not sabotaging his ambition.
He said, “You want a level playing field from the NWC and on the other hand you want the NWC to canvas vote for you and vote for your. In-coming president, you have to choose one, you can’t have the two. But lets assure you, this NWC will try to uphold the tradition of the PDP, that tradition since 1999 is running very credible, transparent conventions starting from Jos to the last one that produced this National Working Committee.
“I want to assure you, that there will be no foul play, no manipulation. We will certainly do better than what you did in October last year. We will hold an absolutely transparent convention. At that state, we will try to be the INEC of the People’s Democratic Party, not be partisan. We’ll try as much as possible to make sure that every member of the National Working Committee works for the party.
“But I want to also assure you, that once you emerge, as the candidate of the party, whoever emerges from that point on, we will be aggressively partisan, because we want the party to win the election. We will do everything in our power by way of canvasing for votes from Nigerian people to ensure that the PDP wins the next election because a victory by PDP candidate is a victory for everybody.”