The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leaders thinking of punishing the G-5 governors should perish the idea, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike warned yesterday.
The governor said nobody in the party could drive members of the G-5 governors, who are members of the Integrity Group out the house they, according to him, spent many years to build.
Wike further warned that insulting members of the Integrity Group by PDP leaders would only escalate the lingering crisis rocking the party to its foundation.
The PDP plunged into crisis after its national convention in May produced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate.
Some members of the party asked the party’s Natuional Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, to step down. They argued that the president candidate and the national chairman cannot come from the same zone.
They are demanding Ayu’s replacement with a southerner to correct “regional imbalance” in the main opposition party.
Apart from Wike, other governors who are members of the G-5 are: Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwanyi (Enugu), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Seyi Makinde (Oyo).
The aggrieved governors, who were appointed into the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, withdrew their membership and boycotted its inauguration.
Wike spoke at the Mgbuodohia Community Primary School premises where he kicked off the construction of Mgbuodohia Road in Rumuolumene Town of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.
He said: “Nobody can drive us from this house we have built. All of us will fight here. So, if anybody thinks that you can just sit in your house and dish out orders, it will not work. The house will collapse on you. So, you better think twice.”
The governor clarified that his comment on the endorsement of Peter Obi by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, instead of his former deputy (Atiku) was motivated by his concern for the PDP.
He said Obasanjo had served as President on the platform of the PDP with Abubakar as his vice president for eight years and was in a better position to solicit support from Nigerians on his behalf with confidence.
Wike said that if Obasanjo could not endorse his former deputy, it only showed that something was fundamentally wrong that should elicit concern by PDP members.
He said: “I meant no harm. I’m only worried as a prominent PDP member. A man who loves PDP should be worried. I was not mocking anybody. I was merely worried. My prayer was, look, let Obasanjo remain quiet and not say anything. That was all my prayer, but my prayer didn’t work.
“My prayer was that if this man makes any statement, it will indict us because he was president under the PDP for eight years, and he worked with our presidential candidate. And the campaign of our presidential council is that our presidential candidate during the eight years did very well, with experience.”
Wike lamented that instead of people in the party to look at the issues critically and ponder on what could be done, they were busy abusing him.
He said: “What did I do? I didn’t do anything. All I did was to express concern. If you care for this party, it is for you to go back and ask, what is fundamentally wrong?
“Me that is worried that we should do something and I have expressed it, you’re abusing me for telling the party that we should do something.”
Wike said only those who truly love the PDP would be worried about the development, describing those abusing him, including a spokesman of the party as jobbers and political flirts jumping from one party to another.
He said: “They are not bothered, but those of us who since 1998 joined this party, contributed to the survival of this party until now, we keep shouting always when we see danger coming.
“Abuses upon abuses, it will not change anything, rather it will spoil more things. What you don’t know, ask people, seek advice, people will help you to solve the problem.”
Wike flayed former PDP National Chairman Prince Uche Secondus, alleging that the companies that bided and got the contract awards for projects sited in Andoni were introduced by him.
According to the governor, the companies were paid but those projects were never executed and Secondus could not extricate himself from the firms that got those jobs.
Wike also argued that the soul and strength of the Rivers chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) had departed, leaving the carcass, adding that it could not get any electoral support from the Rivers electorate.
The governor urged the Rivers State PDP governorship candidate, Sir Siminalayi Fubara to consider constructing a bridge to link Rumuolumeni to Eagle Island in Port Harcourt when he eventually assumes office.
Providing a description of the project, Rivers State Commissioner for Works, Dr. George-Kelly Dakorinima Alabo said the 5.1-kilometre Mgbuodohia Road will be 7.3- metre wide with offshoot drain of 6.5- kilometre long.
