Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has accused the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of sowing seeds of discord among the party’s governors, saying such could spell doom for the party in future elections.
Wike alleged that the PDP NWC was being too divisive in its conducts, pointing out that such tendency could jeopardise the chances of the opposition party at staging a comeback to the presidency in 2023.
Governor Wike, who stated these on Friday while speaking on a live television programme in Port Harcourt, maintained that President Muhammadu Buhari’s perceived integrity would be in tartars should he fail to honour the invitation of the House of Representatives to address the growing concern about the spate of insecurity across the country.
A statement issued by Governor Wike’s Special Assistant, Media, Kelvin Ebiri, quoted him as expressing regrets that instead of capitalising on the inefficiency and maladministration that had characterised the All Progressives Congress (APC) after five years in power, the PDP’s NWC was busy deepening cracks in the party.
“PDP ought to have harvested from the inefficiency of the APC; from the maladministration of the APC. Ordinarily, that is what opposition party ought to do. If you ask me: are Nigerians waiting for a change? Yes. If you ask me as a member of PDP, am I ready to support PDP to takeover? Yes. But, if you ask me: currently as it is, is the leadership of the party willing for us to harvest this opportunity for a change? I will say no”, the governor was quoted as saying.
Wike lamented that rather than focusing on strategies on how to take advantage of the growing disenchantment with the APC government, the PDP NWC was sowing the seed of discord among governors, using two former governors of Imo and Cross River States and present Senator from Benue State as agents.
“An opposition party that ought to be united, to work, to take over the affairs of government, because people are waiting for this opportunity, but the current leadership of NWC is not prepared for that, rather, what they have done is to constitute some people to sow a seed of discord among governors for their own selfish interest. And that will boomerang; that will consume them,” Wike warned.
The governor said his pains were informed by the fact that does not have the ability to defect to the APC or another political party, and as such, he would continue to do what he could to ensure the survival of the PDP.
“I will not allow anybody to kill PDP. They have the capacity to move to APC. I don’t and I cannot move to APC. So, anybody that tries to do something to destroy PDP, I will not allow you. Anybody that I see that has the trait to destroy the PDP, I will not allow it,” he reiterated.
The Rivers State governor described as disingenuous the decision of the NWC to jettison the recommendations of Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom-led committee set up to reconcile the party in Niger and Plateau States, just because of its vested interest in Niger State.
The governor accused the current leadership of NWC of the PDP of merely being interested in retaining the current structure of the party to remain in power, and not to win the 2023 election.
“The present National Working Committee is not interested or doing anything to take over the realms of government in 2023. When your interest is to remain in power, you are no longer interested to win election”, he maintained.
On security, Governor Wike, noted that the level of insecurity leading to deaths, particularly in Borno State and other parts of the country, was enough compelling reason for President Buhari to keep his promise of honouring the invitation by the House of Representatives.
He said it was gratifying to note that it was APC members who control majority in the National Assembly that moved the motion to invite President to address them on what measures are being taken to tackle and end the spate of violent killings and the president consented. Wike faulted the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation to turn around to subject the invitation to legal interpretation, instead of protecting the integrity of the President which is now at stake.
“There is insecurity. People are dying. You don’t go by legal approach to solve that problem. If Mr President had given the assurance, saying my integrity is at stake, therefore I will go, that decision was not taken without talking first to his inner cabinet.
“It’s not a question and answer session. You go with a brief to address the congress. To say, see where it was when we came, see where we are today. Yes, we have not achieved what we thought, but what we require from everyone is cooperation,” the governor explained.
Wike added: “This is the period every Nigerian should be concerned about what is happening. Just this morning (Friday), I heard that 16 people were killed on Abuja-Kaduna road yesterday. Look at the loss of life in Borno State. Senate has said look, Mr President, relief all Service Chiefs, which means they are concerned about the security situation in the country.”
He counselled that what the Attorney General of the Federation ought to do was to advise the president privately and encourage him to write a letter to the House of Representatives that he would come at a later date because of the exigency of his office. To end the spate of violent crimes in the country, Governor Wike recommended the creation of employment opportunities for youths and drastic change to operational system of policing in the country.
He insisted that states must be allowed to be involved in the community police which he claimed had already been hijacked by APC members.
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