Rivers PDP Chieftain Blames Atiku for Mismanaging Party’s Internal Crisis

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Princewill Dike, has blamed the presidential candidate of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar,  and the national party for mismanaging the internal crisis in the party, which he said should have been handled maturely and not escalate to the level it is presently.

Dike, a Port Harcourt-based lawyer, said the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, was fighting for justice, inclusiveness and equity, and had the sympathies of many of his colleagues, party leaders and many Nigerians.

He stressed that to avoid embarrassment in the 2023 genera election, Atiku should consider the demands of Wike and his camp.

Describing Wike as a force, a performer, and great mobiliser, Dike said the governor remained the backbone of the PDP, noting that any attempt to call his bluff would spell a doom to the party’s moves to reclaim the centre.He said it was inconceivable that all key positions in the party such as the national chairmanship, presidential candidacy and chairmanship of the Board of Trustees (BoT) are occupied by the North to the detriment of the South, ‘which has sustained the party’.

The party chieftain said Atiku and the PDP would be playing God if they decided to go into a crucial election in 2023 with a flawed and northernised PDP structure.

Dike said the current structure of the PDP at the national level vitiated the party’s constitution, which provides for fair distribution of offices to give all zones a sense of belonging.

He said: “The presidential candidate of the PDP will be playing with fire if he chooses to ignore the demands of the Rivers State Governor, Wike, and his camp. Those people hanging around him and mounting pressure on him to call the bluff of Governor Wike are leading him to the abyss.

“It will be foolhardy for Atiku and some enemies of the PDP to think that a governor, who mobilised resources, fought federal government and rebuilt the party most of them abandoned, no longer matters at this crucial time.

“Governor Wike is a mobiliser, a performer and a strategist, who has the support of most of his colleagues and leaders of the party. He exerts nationwide influence and has the capacity to sway votes not only in Rivers State but also in the South-south region. How can you think of ignoring your best commander in a time of war?

“Let reason prevail and let Atiku and the party do the right thing by restructuring the PDP to give the South a sense of belonging and ensure unity ahead of the poll. The time to act is now because the delay we have witnessed has already become dangerous.”