Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State, has been hailed as a strength for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by Chief Bode George, a former deputy national chairman of the PDP.
George made this statement in the midst of the party’s crisis and the Wike camp’s Wednesday proclamation that it would not back Atiku Abubakar for president of the PDP until Iyorchia Ayu resigned and was replaced by a southerner.
He claimed that Wike offered the necessary leadership and gave his all to guarantee the party stays viable and relevant after practically everyone left the PDP after its back-to-back losses in presidential elections.
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Atiku was also criticized by George for “fleeing” to Dubai after losing the 2019 presidential election.
He said: “Wike is an asset to the party. There was a vacuum, Atiku came back and got the ticket last time, and immediately after that convention, he left the country for about a year or more. Who was the key man supporting the party?”
“We were back in opposition. Did he not spend his time and money making sure, with some other governors, so how can he not be an asset to the party?
“If you put your time and spend your money and wisdom, ensuring that the party didn’t collapse, would you be an asset or otherwise.”
George cautioned that the current lack of position rotation as permitted by the party constitution invites “unnecessary dissension.”
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He emphasized that the PDP must follow the zoning and office rotation principles for the sake of fairness, inclusivity, and togetherness.
In his words, “I have been pleading with all sides that don’t let us turn this party to northern Peoples Democratic Party and southern Peoples Democratic Party. If we do that, the good wishes of the founding fathers would be lost.
“If we bring about this unnecessary division, we are sending everybody back to the early time, the first republic, the second republic, it would portend evil.
“Wike lost that election. Atiku won. The PDP constitution, section 7 (3C) states that you must adhere to the principle of zoning and rotation, of elective offices and party offices.
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“The founding fathers stated that once a presidential candidate is from the north, after eight years, it must go to the south. For our party.”
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