PDP Presidential candidate in this year’s election Atiku Abubakar (left) and former Nigeria President, Olusegun Obasanjo
By NewsBits
The leader of G-Five governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nyesom Wike has said that when it seemed herculean for former President Olusegun Obasanjo to win a second term ticket in 2003, he knelt down and begged his deputy, Atiku Abubakar who in turn spelt out certain conditions, which his boss agreed to.
Wike stated this during the flag-off of the construction of Eneka-Igbo Etche Road in Obio-Akpor local government area of the state yesterday. Wike, who along with the group’s members, returned home yesterday from a strategic meeting in London, said there was no trouble in the party but a prelude to it.
Wike stated that the minimum demand of the members of the G5 – Wike, Seyi Makinde (Oyo State), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and Samuel Ortom (Benue) – is the resignation of the national chairman of the PDP, Dr Iyorchia Ayu to allow for a southerner to occupy the office.
“We have made our demand and our demand is that the national chairman must come to the south. It’s non-negotiable. If you say you don’t care, no problem. Let’s go to the field. No need to begin to threaten people, you will do this, you will do that.
“You say we are giving conditions, but you forget history. When President Olusegun Obasanjo wanted to run for second tenure, he knelt down before his vice president and said, ‘my vice please allow me to run.’
Do you know one of the conditions he gave him? Tony Anenih must be sacked as the minister of works and that Anenih must not be in the presidential campaign council. Obasanjo obliged and sacked Anenih as minister of works and removed him from the presidential campaign council and brought him back to Southsouth. And people are talking about conditions.
“This is a president, a retired general that knelt down for his vice and he gave him conditions. This one we are not even giving conditions. We are only saying by the constitution of our party, by what the national chairman said and by what you told me in my house when you came to see me, give us the national chairman and you say you will not listen to us and that we should not give you condition. Something that is touching on the foundation of the unity of a country.
The governor also took a swipe at some of the members of the PDP presidential campaign council saying they are betrayers who left the party at one time or the other.
“When you see members of their presidential council, some of them are professional beggars. One of them stupidly said that Wike should know that PDP had fought for him. I have never left PDP since 1998. Even when they came to destroy PDP, I remained to save PDP. So, how can these kinds of characters come and tell me that I should not destroy PDP. The PDP you destroyed.
“Since 1998 till now I haven’t left this party. Who is to speak for PDP? Is it all these dead woods? They would come to your state, beg you and stay with you for two months and say you are the best but later they would go back and do a different thing. People should be honourable in their lives,” he added.
Wike also stated that he was not bothered by the threat to expel him from the party saying, “when the time comes, we will know who has capacity and who does not have capacity.”
