From TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has accused the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of sowing seed of discord among PDP governors and jeopardising the party’s prospect to clinch the presidency in 2023.
Governor Wike has also warned that President Muhammadu Buhari’s integrity will be at stake, if he fails to honour invitation of the House of Representatives to address the growing concern about the spate of insecurity across the country.
The governor, while speaking on a live television programme in Port Harcourt, Friday, said it was regrettable that instead of capitalising on the inefficiency and maladministration that has characterised the All Progressives Congress five years in power, PDP’s NWC is deepening cracks in the party.
“PDP ought to have harvested from the inefficiency of the APC; from the maladministration of the APC. Ordinarily, that is what opposition party ought to do. If you ask me, are Nigerians waiting for a change? Yes. If you ask me as a member of PDP, am I ready to support PDP to takeover, yes. But, if you ask me currently as it is, is the leadership of the party willing for us to harvest this opportunity for a change, I will say no”.
He explained that rather than focus on strategies on how to take advantage of the growing disenchantment with the APC government, the NWC is sowing seed of discord among governors using two former governors of Imo and Cross River States and present Senator from Benue State.
“An opposition party that ought to be united, to work, to take over the affairs of government, because people are waiting for this opportunity, but the current leadership of NWC is not prepared for that, rather, what they have done is to constitute some people to sow a seed of discord among governors for their own selfish interest. And that will boomerang; that will consume them”.
The governor said because he lacks the ability to defect to the APC or another political party, he will continue to do what he can to ensure the survival of the PDP.
“I will not allow anybody to kill PDP. They have capacity to move to APC. I don’t and I cannot move to APC. So, anybody that tries to do something to destroy PDP, I will not allow you. Anybody that I see that has the trait to destroy the PDP, I will not allow it”, Wike stated.
He described as disingenuous the decision of the NWC to jettison the recommendations of Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom-led committee set up to reconcile the party in Niger and Plateau States, just because of its vested interest in Niger State.
The governor accused the current leadership of NWC of merely being interested in retaining current structure of the party to remain in power, and not to win the 2023 election.
“The present National Working Committee is not interested or doing anything to take over the realms of government in 2023. When your interest is to remain in power, you are no longer interested to win election.”
Governor Wike said the level of insecurity leading to deaths, particularly in Borno State and other parts of the country ought to have compelled President Buhari to keep his promise of honouring the invitation by the House of Representatives.
He pointed out that it was APC members who control majority in the National Assembly that moved the motion to invite the President to address them on what measures are being taken to tackle and end the spate of violent killings, to which he consented.