2023: ‘Wike Didn’t Respect Zoning In Rivers State When He Was To Become Governor’

A spokesperson for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign council, Charles Aniagwu has knocked the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike over his continued demand that zoning of party positions be implemented.

Aniagwu who spoke on Friday stated that when Wike was to become the Governor of Rivers State in 2015, he never considered the fact that he is from the same region as his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi.

He further countered the Rivers State Governor, stressing that the PDP zoning formula can’t be compared with that of the All Progressives Congress (APC) because the last person to become president in the party, Goodluck Jonathan, was from the south.

The submissions by Aniagwu come amidst the crisis rocking the PDP over the insistence by Wike since the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate that Iyorchia Ayu must resign as the PDP National Chairman and be replaced by a southerner.

Commenting on the trending issue, Aniagwu said during an interview on Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), that Wike has no moral right to make such demands.

He said; “In 2015, let’s not forget, Amaechi was leaving office. Amaechi is from the same place as Wike. You didn’t say let’s us move to the waterside. What Wike said then that I recall was that you need to, first of all, have the power before you begin to respect zoning. That the party in Rivers was not in power because Amaechi has moved to APC. That PDP cannot be talking about zoning when they were not in power in Rivers.

PDP Made Right Choice With Atiku

The spokesperson insisted that the PDP was right to allow a northerner pick its presidential ticket as the last president from the party was produced by the south.

“In Nigeria today, PDP is not in power. Besides, the last president from the party was Goodluck Jonathan from the south. Are you using Buhari of APC to zone in PDP when we are operating different constitutions? Those are some of the issues that I like my brother to answer.”

PDP Has Not Asked Ayu To Leave

Speaking further, Aniagwu submitted that the vote of confidence passed on Ayu recently by the National Executive Council (NEC) of the PDP is a signal that he still enjoys party support.

He, therefore, urged aggrieved members demanding Ayu’s resignation to respect the decision of the party and channel their grievances to the right quarters.

In his words, “The NEC of the party met and said they had examined these issues and Ayu says if the party asks me to go in the NEC I will go. The NEC of the party met, and this is democracy, and say no we are giving you people a vote of confidence to be able to work because you have done well in Osun. These same members of the party who said they are party members don’t have respect for the party and does not even want to respect the decision of the NEC.”

Atiku Is A Unifier

Aniagwu insisted that Atiku is ready to work with all stakeholders within the party for the PDP to be victorious across board in the 2023 polls.

He, therefore, pleaded with aggrieved persons to sheath their swords and put party interest first.

“But we are pleading with them. The reason why we are pleading is that Atiku wants to run with everybody on board. What you are demanding what is the problem of this timeline. In six months, this election would have been done and dusted and then everything you want to change can change. You will say in one meeting you are not talking about appointment but you are talking about elected people. In one meeting, you will sit down you will balkanise your constitution, you will rape your constitution and you want to be the doctor to perform a surgery,” he maintained.