Wike’s unholy war against PDP, Atiku

By Ori Martins

The iconic Odumegwu Ojukwu, in his 1989 best seller, BECAUSE I AM INVOLVED, fundamentally stated a basic problem with Nigerians. According to Ikemba, “Most of my countrymen and women suffer severely from an acute decease called selective amnesia. This deplorable condition makes us to remember only what we want to remember and not the real facts on ground as they are”.

Taking a mindful look at the pivotal demand of the Rivers State governor, His Excellency, Chief Nyesom Wike, which he has poignantly hinged on the immediate resignation of Senator Iyorchia Ayu as the only grounds for him and his group to make peace with the mainstream People’s Democratic Party, PDP, many issues are recalled to the fore.

Wike insists that following the emergence of former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the PDP standard bearer for the 2023 presidential election, automatically, Ayu, who also hails from the northern region like Atiku should as a matter of mortality and geo political balancing, resign for a southerner to take over. The Rivers governor also notes the PDP constitution frowns at both the presidential candidate and the national chairman of the coming from the same bloc.

Atiku has responded to Wike’s claims. He revealed that what the PDP constitution contains is that if the presidential candidate happens to come from the same zone with the national chairman, the latter will resign after the former must have been sworn in as the president.

Atiku’s narration indicates that Ayu’s resignation, in accordance with the party’s guidelines and procedures, is a post election issue. It ought not to be a pre – election matter. In other words, Wike’s demand for Ayu’s resignation is nothing but a distraction to PDP as a party and Atiku as presidential candidate.

In the highlight of the foregoing, informed Nigerians have posed an apparently searching and relevant questions for Wike to wit: before going into the presidential primary election, was Governor Wike not aware of the agitation he is currently for today?

Why didn’t he make the case that in the event of a northerner emerged PDP presidential candidate, Ayu should resign his position as the national chairman of the party? In other words, Wike’s fight against PDP, Atiku and Ayu, this set of Nigerians argue, is politically incorrect!!! It is neither well tailored or rightly entrenched. It is rather premeditated – just to achieve an orchestrated selfish desire.

From another point of view, has Wike, a worthy party man, taken a rehearsal voyage into the PDP constitution and its distribution of power among the national executives? This is vital because an inquisition will expose the fact that, taken for granted that Ayu’s resigns, the next in command is still a northerner – the PDP national vice chairman, North.

Therefore, it goes to dramatize Wike’s entire affair on his call for Ayu’s resignation. If Ayu resigns, the next in line is a northerner. So, how does Ayu’s resignation solve Wike’s claims of imbalance, injustice and inequity in the PDP. Is not a case of Nigerians describe as jumping from frying pan into fire?

And from the upper elevation, which is even more absurd and disjointed. Since the next in command after Ayu is still a northerner, will Wike still call for his removal? Or, since PDP cannot handpick its national executives, will the umbrella party now and then call for an emergency extraordinary convention which will involve all wards, local government, state as well as national officers to resign en masse for a fresh election? Or, still, will Wike now come up an affirmative election in the convention to solve the quagmire?

It has even been stated by some analysts even if Ayu resigns, Wike will certainly come up with another bag of demands that will be very difficult for Atiku and PDP to come to terms with. In this hue, he may likely insist that he must produce the chairman from the band of his hagiographer.

There is a more suitable and revealing interjection to the Wike truculence. Nigerians who have a sense of history and who have not yet fallen prey of the Ojukwu’s diagnosis of “selective amnesia” can still recollect vividly that PDP had had both a national chairman and presidential candidate from the same region.

Sincere PDP elders and leaders recall with a hallowed national pride even dignity imbued with nostalgia that in its
chequered political history, PDP in
2006 had a northern chairman that led a northern presidential candidate to victory. It was Ahmadu Ali as national chairman and the late Musa Yar’Adua as the presidential candidate. ThIs is a historical fact that has so much symbolisms with PDP’s structural arrangement en route to the 2023 general elections.

Between 2009 and 2010, the PDP had a southern president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan when also His Excellency, Chief Okwezieze Nwodo was the national chairman of PDP just as a southern Board of Trustees chairman was accommodated.

The PDP is a party that believes in national integration and cohesion anchored in unity in diversity. This practically gives meaningful reasons as to why the party allocates what is considered the six biggest democratic positions one each to the six geo political zones as follows: President, Vice-president, Senate President, Speaker of House of Representatives, Secretary to Government(SGF) and National Chairman

The trajectory herein bears eloquent testimony of PDP’s internal structure which grows and thrives on playing smoothly on due process, equity, justice and fairness.

The PDP is not structured to favour a particular ethnic region or religion as the All Progressives Congress, APC is currently observing. It is frightening that Wike, whose oil rich Niger Delta of South – South zone is unrighteously marginalized by the present national actors in APC have yet to raise any serious eyebrows in comparison to the manner he is fighting the PDP. The APC sidelined the South – South by not distributing power equitably – the president is North West, the vice president is South West, the president of the senate is North East, the speaker of the house of representatives is South West, the secretary to the government of the federation is North East while the national chairman of APC is North Central. Where is the South – South slot? Did Wike carry out this organized hydra headed battle against PDP on APC for sidetracking his zone?

The PDP caucus members have pledged that the moment Atiku wins the 2023 presidential election and is ultimately sworn in, there is no option for Ayu than to resign.

Calling for Ayu’s resignation now brings back the painful existence of the road well travelled prior to the 2015 general elections. Like Wike is currently leading the campaign of calumny against PDP and Ayu, it was then Rivers governor, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, who led the onslaught, calling for the resignation of then national chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur. Little did PDP leaders knew it was a part of the steps to be taken towards the eventual sack of both the party and President Jonathan.

Now, why is Wike building this destructive armament to destroy the same house he has made allusions to belonging its builders? As you read this, in the APC arrangement, the president of Nigeria who is also the leader of the party as well as the chairman of the APC are from the same northern region.

The presidential candidate and chairman of Labour party are from the same southern region. Just as the candidate and chairman of NNPP are from the same northern region.*This means that the chairmen and leaders of all the leading parties are from the same region. So, why the fuss about the PDP having the chairman and apex leader of the party from the same zone? Why is PDP castigated for having the chairman and leader of party from the same region?

And coming down to Wike’s Rivers State, the governor was very much aware that His Excellency, Chief Celestine Omehia and Amaechi had occupied Brick House as governors between 2007 and 2015 as both men are Ikwerre wards. In order words, they represented the Ikwerre turn, the Ikwerre slot.

Sadly, Against against the rule of, justice, equity and fairness as Wike is currently championing, he still came for the 2015 governorship election in Rivers when he knew it was the turn of the river basin zone of the state.

Back to the national front, most Nigerians of goodwill, remind Wike that when some civilized minds in PDP made moves for the presidential ticket of the party be taken to the South East, it was the Rivers governor who stood against it and fought ruthlessly that it must be made a southern affair.

It was at that point that Atiku sauntered and maintained that if the PDP ticket was not strictly taken to the South East, the erstwhile number two citizen insisted he would take a short at it.

Therefore, it was Wike who gave Atiku the leverage upon which he (Atiku) climbed to the zenith height of picking the PDP’s presidential ticket. Had Wike supported the idea of zoning the party’s presidential ticket to the South East, Atiku who he is fighting today would not have emerged.

It must be pointed out that what brought Ayu was Wike’s insistence that Uche Secondus must quit or forced out of office as national chairman. In lene with his recent traditional inclination, Wike has been playing a central role in the making and unmaking of PDP national chairman all the way from Sheriff.

What baffles many when Wike presents himself as a righteous politician who stands on equity is his volte face on fairness. That is, how can Wike be calling for justice when he wanted to be Nigeria’s president in 2023 after his zonal sibling Jonathan was president for six years not up to eight years ago? Why didn’t he campaign for the South East that ruled Nigeria in July 1966?

No matter how you looked at Wike’s campaign against PDP, Atiku and Ayu is disingenuously constructed. His arguments about it are not just infantile but also sadly inelegant.

Wike has done so much for the survival and sustainability of PDP. He should rescind from his present unholy war against PDP and join hands with his avowed faithful party men and women across the country to fight for a victory at the 2023 general elections.