Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
People’s Democratic Party (PDPRG) Renaissance group has expressed concern over what it described as the overbearing influence of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on PDP.
PDPRG National Coordinator, Ahmed Shaffa, said the domineering tendencies of the governor, which became pronounced during the party’s primaries and the election of the minority leader of the House Representatives, call for serious concern.
Shaffa, in a statement via e-mail, said it was not in the interest of the PDP which should be preoccupied with regaining control of the centre to breed disharmony among its members.
He said the recent media exchanges between the Rivers governor and his Bayelsan counterpart, Seriake Dickson, have further exposed the PDP as a party that lacks unity and internal harmony.
The group warned that the PDP might be heading towards self destruction if its leadership failed to take decisive measures to tame indiscipline in high places within the party as the All Progressives Congress did by suspending some governors.
He said by his recent actions, the Rivers governor has become a glaring threat to the PDP and should be prevailed upon to act as a member of the party.
He called on all leaders and party members to be vigilant and protect the PDP from destruction before the 2023 general election.
He said it is a sad commentary for the Rivers governor to outrightly reject a peace overture from the party in a dispute with a fellow governor.
Shaffa, therefore, called on the PDP to intensify measures to nip the conflict in the bud to prevent it from contaminating internal cohesion of the party.