Wike as a principled politician won’t dump PDP—Dele Momodu
A former presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and publisher of Ovation Magazine Dele Momodu, says Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike will not dump the main opposition party.
His statement comes against the backdrop of speculations that Wike, who is a member of the PDP, may defect from the party after losing the presidential and vice-presidential tickets.
There has been a crisis rocking the main opposition party since the emergence of ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections.
But Momodu, a PDP chieftain, said Wike will not abandon the party because he is a principled politician.
“For me, governor Wike is a very principled man; if there’s one thing he has been consistent about, it is his love for PDP; I believe he will not leave PDP. He is playing a mind game and he’s good at it. What shall it profit him if he joins APC?” he asked on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily Monday.
According to Momodu, the development in the party following the outcome of the presidential primary has made the governor of Rivers a force to be reckoned with.
He stated that the PDP presidential candidate should have a one-on-one meeting with Wike to resolve the crisis rocking the party.
Momodu added, “What I would advise Atiku Abubakar to do today is to sit down one-on-one without no other person present with governor Wike and agree on deliverables, If possible, sign an agreement.
“Governor Wike believes that the party should have respected the zoning principle, number two, he believes that zoning would have favoured a southern candidate. Three, he believed that of all the southern aspirants, he is the one that has the capacity to deliver victory to the party.
“The situation in PDP shows what Wike is in the equation of things in Nigeria. If you have a man who is your best governor across the board, across party lines, Wike stands out as a fantastic performer.
“Today, the fear of Wike is the beginning of wisdom in PDP, there is no question about that. Wike is smart, he knows the game he’s playing, and what he wants to do is to force a deal with the party. That’s my own reading of the situation.”
The conflict in the PDP after the party’s presidential primary appears to be deepening.
While many southern governors had insisted that the region produces President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor next year, the emergence of Atiku from Adamawa, North-East has thwarted the plan.
Since the crisis, the PDP Bot of Trustees (BOT) has held a series of talks to mend fences between Wike and Atiku but the duo are yet to strike a peace deal. Rather, the camp loyal to Wike is insisting that the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, should resign his position since he is from the North-Central.
Similarly, fears are that Wike, who came second in the PDP presidential primary, might dump the main opposition party. The fears became evident as the governor has been receiving notable politicians, especially those from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
