Wike’s Loyalist Hails Jibrin Over Stance On PDP Leadership Structure

A former member of the House of Representatives, Ogbonna Nwuke, has commended the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jibrin, over his comment on the leadership structure of the party.

Recall that Jibrin had on Sunday in an interview on a Channels television Programme, said the leadership structure of the PDP consists of Northerners.

Jibrin asserted that the North cannot hold the positions of the party’s presidential candidate, the National Chairman and the BoT chairman ahead of the 2023 elections.

In a statement on Tuesday, Jibrin reiterated his earlier stance on the matter, saying that the PDP is not a sectional party but loved by all Nigerians.

Reacting in an interview with The Punch on Tuesday, Nwuke, a loyalist of Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, hailed Jibrin for his stance on the PDP leadership structure.

The former Rivers Commissioner for Information said the PDP BoT Chairman deserved appreciation from party members and Nigerians for standing by the truth.

He said, “I think the chairman of the BoT deserves the appreciation of all Nigerians, particularly those of us who are in the PDP.

 “He has stuck by the truth since this crisis started. Truly, he has turned out to be the conscience of our great party. His admission that it is wrong for the North to have everything from BoT chairmanship to the presidential ticket shows that he is a patriot. Those who are fighting for justice, fairness and equity will not forget him.”

Nwuke said the PDP constitution recognises the fact that the party chairmanship and the presidential ticket cannot be domiciled in one geographical zone.

He added, “Article 7, subsection 3(c) clearly expresses this fine point that has made power sharing in the PDP the rallying point of our common unity.

“Recall that prior to the National Convention, when the zoning of national offices took place, all the positions in the South went to the North while those held in the North moved to the South.

“What did not move to the South after the National convention was the presidency. Given the way the PDP has done things over the years, the presidency should be in the South at this time.’’