By Chris Agunweze
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rivers State chapter, has made up its mind to dump the presidential candidate of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, if the claims and revelations of the Chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Area, Hon. Samuel Nwanosike, is anything to go by.
Nwanosike who is a strong ally of the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, told Sunday Sun that the state chapter of the party would now support and campaign for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of rival All Progressives Congress (APC) for the February 25 presidential election.
The PDP standard bearer for the 2023 presidential election, Alhaji Abubakar and the G-5 Governors championed by Governor Wike have been in a running battle over the National Chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, with the aggrieved governors insisting that Ayu must resign.
Because of the sharp disagreement between Atiku and the G-5 governors, supporters of the five governors in their states appear to be undecided on the way to go.
But Nwanosike told Sunday Sun that the position of Rivers State is now settled.
Investigations also showed that elders and opinion leaders who are known Wike loyalists in the state have held several meetings on the issue and after their deliberations, strongly resolved to campaign vigorously for Tinubu in the state while the leadership of the party on the other hand would work round the clock to ensure that its presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar loses in the state.
Hon. Nwanosike who was cornered by Sunday Sun after one of such deliberations, without mincing words confirmed the findings.
According to him, the elders and opinion leaders of the state have decided to dump Atiku and work for Ahmed Tinubu because of what he described as “unfairness and political imbalance” he claimed Atiku was propagating.
Nwanosike said that the PDP national leadership has been taken over by men who specialised in manipulating the process to achieve their personal interest.
He recalled that it was clearly stated that when the PDP presidential candidate emerges from the North, the national chairman of the party on the other hand should come from the South and vice versa if the presidential candidate of the party emerges from the South.
But Atiku, the PDP presidential candidate from the North is insisting that Iyorchia Ayu also from the North remains the party’s national chairman, he noted in anger.
“With this unfortunate development, it is clear that Atiku is not the true unifying factor we thought he is.
“We want to say clearly here that we stand by our leader Nyesom Wike on this issue,” he said.
The council boss condemned a situation where a Northerner will govern Nigeria for eight long years and hand over to another Northerner to continue.
He said: “It is not possible for a Northerner in the person of Buhari to govern Nigeria for eight years and hand over power to another Northerner, Atiku Abubakar.
“We politicians cannot sit down and watch this happen. To halt the injustice, elders and opinion leaders of Rivers State after careful deliberation on the matter, zeroed in on Tinubu as the most suitable candidate.
“We have x-rayed the three frontrunners in the race, Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and Bola Tinubu, it is Tinubu we found to be the true unifying factor.
“To say that Nyesom Wike’s vote is just one vote is a mere political rhetoric that makes no meaning.”
He said that Wike is a man that won governorship election coming from the opposition back to back, adding that “he has the support of Rivers people and they will rally round him anywhere he goes to.”
On the chances of the PDP winning the state in the election, he relied on the achievements of Wike as the train that would carry their party through to its destination.
He pointed out that Wike has achieved so much in the state, turning the entire state into a work site with infrastructure.
He, therefore, said that based on Wike’s numerous achievements that the PDP standard bearer, Fubaras Siminilayi is using “consolidation” as his campaign slogan.
“None of the other candidates can get up to 10 per cent of Fubaras votes,” he boasted.
Asked what will happen if Atiku comes back for another reconciliation, he retorted:
“No way! The decision of the elders and opinion leaders of the state is final,” but he was quick to add that only Wike can change the decision.
According to him, the people of the state met without Governor Wike and took the decision to move forward, adding that the governor is, however, being awaited to address the people.
Interestingly, Nwanosike is the chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Area, the home base of the immediate past Minister of Transportation, Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi, who came second after Tinubu during the APC presidential primary.
While the former Transportation Minister moves around the state carrying out ward to ward campaign for APC standard bearer in the state, Tonye Cole, the APC presidential candidate Tinubu has never been mentioned anywhere he campaigned.
Rather the gubernatorial candidate of Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the state, Senator Magnus Abe, Amaechi’s former ally, and now his political foe and his camp, are the ones campaigning for Tinubu.
