The governor of River state, Nyesom Wike, has revealed that some ex-military generals and other People’s Democratic Party members met on the night of the party’s presidential primary and special convention to prevent his emergence as the party’s presidential candidate.
Wike revealed that the meeting to prevent him from wining the primaries were held in homes of ex-generals on the night of the convention in a bid to prevent his emergency.
He spoke on Friday during a live media chat in Port Harcourt alleging that the meetings were part of what led to the delay in the commencement of the convention on the day of PDP primary.
Wike lambasted the PDP National Chairman, Senator Iyorcha Ayu, for his role during the convention of the party, saying that Ayu aided the emergence of the former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, as the standard bearer of the party .
His words: “A whole national chairman told some aspirants that if Wike wins that he was going to resign. As chairman of the convention, he allowed Aminu Tambuwal to speak a second time. Look, integrity matters.
“And after everything, he (Ayu) went and hugged Tambuwal that he was the hero of the convention.
“Meetings upon meetings were going. Pressures were being mounted on people to step down.
“Even on the night of the convention meetings were going on. That is why we started our convention late.
“Some of the retired generals were involved. Some of the meetings were held in their houses. There is nothing they didn’t do for me to step down.
“Those who know me, know that I would have stopped the convention, even if heaven falls.
“But I said for peace to reign, let the convention go on. Now a candidate has emerged. And we need to win elections as a party. That is the ultimate, winning elections.
“But the right things must be done. It was agreed and it has been the practice of the party that if the candidate comes from the North, the national chairman should come from the South.
“The candidate (Atiku) knows all these. He even said it to me when he came to my house in Abuja.
Wike reiterated that he will not leave the PDP, explaining that his mission was to see the PDP take over from the All Progressive Congress (APC)
Wike when asked which presidential candidate he advises Nigerians to support, He revealed that there is no other person than the candidate of his party, Atiku Abubakar.
Earlier the Rivers state governor recalled how the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and a former Senate President, Saraki rebuffed former President Goodluck Jonathan’s pleas to rescind their decision of leaving the party in 2014.
Wike said the Sokoto Governor, Aminu Tanbuwal was among those, who humiliated Jonathan after the 2014 convention as they insisted that it was the turn of the north.
He said the party’s constitution contained provisions for zoning of elective and party positions but lamented that some people were doing everything within their powers to manipulate the system.
He said: “There shall be zoning of party and elective offices. It is clear. Not ambiguous. But people will always try to manipulate the system to suit them.