Wike: Jettisoning Zoning Responsible for PDP’s Defeat at Presidential Poll

•Says APC governors are his Heroes

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has explained that the abandoning of the zoning practice by the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was largely responsible for its failure at the presidential election of February 25.

He, however, described the governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as his heroes following the emergence of their party’s presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, as the President-elect of Nigeria.

Wike observed that the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP)  dumping of the zoning arrangements as entrenched in the party’s constitution led to their defeat in the February 25 election.

He maintained that the decision of the PDP leadership to abandon zoning in clear violation of the party’s constitution, was largely to blame for the party’s catastrophic defeat in the concluded presidential election.

The governor reiterated that PDP’s Constitution in Section 7(3)(c) stated in pursuant of the principles of equity, justice, and fairness, that the party shall adhere to the policy of rotation of elective and appointive offices.

Speaking yesterday, when the three Rivers senators-elect: Dr. Ipalibo Harry Banigo, Senator Barry Mpigi and Allwell Onyesoh visited him at his private residence in Rumueprikom, Port Harcourt, to present their certificate of return to him, he said the decision to jettison the principle of fairness, equity and justice was the worst form of anti-party.

“We are proud to have produced the three senators. Out of 13 House of Reps, they have announced ten, and we have taken nine. We believe that when election is done in the other ones, we will also emerge victorious, because Rivers State has always been with PDP as regards to the issues of our local elections.

“When our party abandoned the principle of equity, fairness and justice; when our party abandoned the provisions of our constitution, which is the highest anti-party anybody can do, they also have to pay for it. If you see that your constitution says this is what you should do, and you abandoned it, you have committed anti-party more than any other thing. Our own is unity of Nigeria, and that is what we stand for. Unity of Nigeria is far above party interest.”

Wike said the APC governors deserved commendation for their nationalistic stance that propelled the party to zone the presidency to the south, adding that the emergence of the president-elect of southern extraction was made possible because of the premium APC governors attached to national unity.

“That is why I said that the APC governors are my heroes. They came out openly to tell the world, to tell Nigerians, look, the unity of this country is paramount, we don’t want Nigeria to be divided. In fact, I was shocked when all of them came out and said we have had it for eight years in the north, let it go this way (south) for eight years so that we can have harmony, peace and unity,” he explained.