PDP Crisis: Nobody Can Split my Team, Wike Boasts

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

As post-primary election rapprochement continues to elude the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, yesterday, boasted that nobody could break his relationship with his friends in the party.

Wike, who was referring to his team, which included Governors Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Samuel Ortom (Benue) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), said efforts by those attempting to create disunity among them would fail.

Wike maintained that the PDP governors working with him were only demanding that the right things should be done in the party and agreement respected.

The Rivers governor spoke, when he inaugurated the Okezuo Abia Flyover along the Aba-Enugu Expressway in Osisioma Ngwa Local Government Area, and the rehabilitated Aba-Owerri Road in Aba South Local Government Area of Abia State.

According to him, those who are struggling to cause division between him and his team do not understand the modus operandi of their actions.

“When I read on the pages of newspapers, they said some people are making attempts to break my rank, I said to myself that they don’t understand the modus operandi of what we are doing.

“If they understand the modus operandi of what we are doing, they won’t waste their time. If you like go and meet Ikpeazu, if you like go and meet Seyi Makinde, if you like go and meet Ortom Samuel, and if you like go and meet Ugwuanyi Ifeanyi, I pity them. People think that relationship can be bought with money,” he said.

Wike, therefore, reiterated that no propaganda could weaken his political capacity to deliver a win for whoever Rivers State decides to support with votes in the 2023 general election.

His words: “Look, nobody should bother about any abuse on me. I’m too much for it. I don’t even know when I’m abused. If they like let them put everything on social media and abuse me, at the end, we will know who is relevant or not at the appropriate time.

“Politics is not to go on the pages of newspapers. Politics is not to go and buy slot on television and speak. It is who will deliver at the appropriate time. That is what is key. If you like, abuse me from now till tomorrow, it’s your business.

“What is important is when the time comes, we will know. When the jungle matures, we will know those who can stand crisis. We will know those who have capacity to say this is where our state will go. Ikpeazu is one of those governors, who have capacity and will decide where the people of Abia State will go.”

Wike emphasised that the governors, who some forces in PDP were fighting, were the ones projecting the party, and have consolidated the goodwill of the electorate that will translate into electoral fortune.

He said, “Look at what they said, they said your governor (Abia State) is a boy. They said Wike is a boy, Seyi is a boy, Ortom is a boy, Ugwuanyi is a boy. But see what the boys are doing. Tell them that as men, they should show us what they have done.

“Because we say look, agreement is agreement. You told me you will do this, now it’s time for you to do it, you don’t want to do it. Is it good?

“Now, what’s the problem? We say, my brother, you have shared and given to Atiku; you shared and given Okowa, you shared and given Saraki, which one have you given to Ikpeazu?  What Ikpeazu and co are saying is that when you are sharing Senate president to so and so person, which one have you given to Abia.”

 Wike noted that because the Abia governor had submitted himself to God, whatever he does has continued to prosper, and commended Ikpeazu for changing the narrative of governance in Abia State and working to better socioeconomic situation for the people of the state.

In his speech, Ikpeazu said the Okezuo Abia Flyover along the Aba-Enugu expressway, was one of the signature projects of his administration as the first interchange bridge delivered in the state since its creation.

“Our desire to construct this flyover at this point was borne out of our conviction that we will ease the movement of personnel and goods out and in of Aba, being our commercial nerve centre in Abia State.

“People were spending two/three hours at this junction trying to get into Aba, to get into the central market in the city and we decided to respond to that problem by providing this flyover. I thank God that today, this project has become a reality.”