Wike To PDP NWC: I Helped You Emerge, Now Pay Me Back

From Ogundele Olanrewaju

Rivers State governor and presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nyesom Wike, yesterday told the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party that having supported them to emerge as party leaders, they should equally rally support for him to emerge the party’s presidential candidate in 2023.

He warned sternly that if the party fails to make him its presidential candidate, it would lose the election because he has become a household name.

Wike made the demand when he met with the NWC at the PDP national secretariat to get their support ahead of the party’s May 28 presidential primary election.

But the national chairman of the party, Dr Iyorcha Ayu, replied that the governor couldn’t be demanding a level playing field for all aspirants and expect the party national leadership to be his chief campaigners.

The meeting was however preceded by a mild drama over power outage at the secretariat, as Wike was forced to address the members without the sound system.

Wike was accompanied to the meeting by governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu; former governors of Ekiti and Gombe States, Ayo Fayose and Ibrahim Dankwambo.

While soliciting support of the NWC, Wike recalled that when he fought to remove the previous NWC most of the serving NWC members supported them. He also recalled how he traveled round the country to ensure that they assume office.

He said, “So let us not waste time. Go and tell our people that you have seen the right person and the right person is Wike.

“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 I am coming to campaign. So, payback. But please do us the favour of conducting a free and fair election that will be an advantage for us to win in 2023.”

He added: “The household name now is Wike so don’t make mistakes and lose Wike. Because if you lose Wike, you have lost the election. It is our prayer that we should win the election.

“So, it is important I take this opportunity and let you know that I am prepared. Psychologically, mentally and in all aspects, I am very much prepared.”

Asking the party to expect court cases ahead of the primaries, he warned them not to conduct primaries that are not transparent.

He further kicked against the consensus candidacy proposition.

His words: “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 say I am not going to buy it. It will not work and I am not a party to it.

“I believe in consensus, but base on equity, justice and fairness. But not by consensus by those who have conspired, they think they can bring me in, but nobody can bring me into it.”

But while replying to Wike, Ayu said, “On the one hand you want a level playing field from the NWC. On the other hand you want the NWC to canvas vote for you. You have to choose one, you can have the two.

“But let me 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. We will try to be the INEC of the Peoples Democratic Party, and 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 or the party, whoever emerges from that point on we will be aggressively partisan, because you want the party to win the election”.

On his part, Abia State governor, Ikpeazu, said he will not be held back by the clamour for the next president to emerge from the South East zone.

While throwing his weight behind Wike’s ambition, Ikpeazu said he will support any Igbo man regardless of which zone the person comes from.

He said he would not be held down by the “narrative around a geographical agenda”, adding that Wike is a competent and a stickler for rule of law.

He said, “The country no longer wants a president whom they cannot predict where he stands on the issues.”

He further noted that Wike has proved loyalty and service to PDP, adding that the Rivers governor has never left the party.