I Will Not Leave PDP, I Will Fight From Within – Wike; Party Receives News With Mixed Feelings

By Adesina Soyooye

The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, does not know whether  to celebrate or not. It does not know if it is good news or bad news. Perhaps, a combination of both?

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has put the final nail on the speculations  that he was all set to leave the Party. Many had said he was headed to the Labour Party, others said the All Progressives Congress, APC. Not for nothing.

Wike and his supporters had held meetings with the Presidential candidates of both Parties – Peter Obi and Bola Tinubu, respectively.

He had also tackled his Party, the PDP every inch of the way and talked down on both the Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and the National Chairman of the Party Dr Iyorchia Ayu.

He has not attended PDP activities since his defeat by Atiku at the Presidential Primary and his loss of the Vice Presidential slot to Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa. He had threatened the Party and the candidate. And taunted them that they would face defeat at the polls. And, recently, he and his Camp have insisted on the resignation of Ayu from office, or they would have nothing to do with the Party.

Two days ago, they pulled out of the membership of the Presidential Campaign Council.

But on Thursday, at a Stakeholders meeting of the Rivers State PDP which Wike summoned, the Governor buried all speculations on his quitting PDP. He said only the weak run away from a fight. And said he and his Camp  would stay in the Party and fight for justice and equity. He said he was not like Atiku and others who  abandoned the Party in 2014, and decamped to the APC, only to come back to the PDP.

Tired of what they have described as Wike’s tantrums, not a few PDP fateful wish he could just walk away. But no. He is staying put.

Wike: “One thing I have always told people is: if anybody is thinking or doubt anything to think that we will leave PDP, foul. We will do the fight in the Party. We are not like them, when in 2014, they walked out from Eagle Square.  They have forgotten. They walked out and joined APC. Is it not correct?

“Did they remain to fight inside the party? But we remained. They ran away. Now there is a fight in the Party, we will not run. We will fight it in this party. Those who run away from fight are weak people. We will not.”

The Governor promised that all the candidates of the Party in the State will be successfully delivered, but he did not add the Presidential candidate.

The mixed feelings in the Party now stem from Wike’s utterances and rage against the PDP and Atiku. The questions being asked are: Will he campaign for Atiku in Rivers State? Will he delivere Atiku? Or is he staying back in the PDP to fulfill his earlier threat that Atiku would lose? Which candidate will he work for if not Atiku?

Whatever, not a few people think it is in Wike’s interest that the PDP wins the Presidential election in 2023.