The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, says that the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has been adjudged by the Party’s National Working Committee (NWC) as the most qualified for the position of its Vice Presidential candidate.
The Party made this clear in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, where it denied that Ologunagba, spoke to Reporters on Wednesday and asked them to disregard the news that Wike has been chosen as the Party’s Vice Presidential candidate.
In the statement signed by Ologunagba late Wednesday, the PDP said its National Publicity Secretary never spoke to any Reporters on Wike.
It said that Ologunagba was in an interview session with Arise Television where he was asked if the Party had concluded its choice of a VP candidate. It said that , “In response, the National Publicity Secretary stated that the PDP is a Party of process and that consultations and discussions were still ongoing in the selection process.”
The PDP, therefore, dismissed as “mischievous the claim that its National Publicity Secretary made any reference to Governor Wike. Any such claims the Party said is designed to destabilise the Party in the months leading to the 2023 General Elections.
In what seemed like a subtle confirmation that Wike has been endorsed as the VP candidate, the statement said: “In fact, Governor Wike’s energy, brilliance commitment and passion were acknowledged by the National Working Committee (NWC) of our party and he is adjudged as the foremost candidate in consideration for the position of the Vice Presidential candidate of the PDP.”
Following is the full text of the statement.
V.P Candidate: Disregard Misrepresenting Report on Gov. Wike – PDP Tells Nigerians…Clarifies Position
“The attention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been drawn to misrepresenting reports in some section of the media purporting that it had dismissed the reported emergence of Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike as its Vice-Presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections.
“The said misleading reports quoted the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP. Hon. Debo Ologunagba as stating such while addressing some journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, June 15, 2022.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the National Publicity Secretary did not at any time address journalists on the said subject matter as quoted in the misinforming reports.
“To set the records straight, the National Publicity Secretary was a guest on Arise TV Morning Show on Wednesday morning where he answered questions on PDP’s preparedness for the 2023 general elections as well as June 18, 2022 Ekiti State Governorship election
“In the course of the interview, the presenters requested some clarifications on reports in the media that the PDP had concluded its processes on its Vice-Presidential Candidate.
“In response the National Publicity Secretary stated that the PDP is a party of process and that consultations and discussions were still ongoing in the selection process.
“It is therefore mischievous to claim that the PDP National Publicity Secretary made any reference to Governor Wike. Clearly, such distorting claim in a section of the media is the design of mischief makers who are bent on destabilizing our Party ahead of the 2023 general elections.
“If anything, our Party reiterates its confidence in Governor Nyesom Wikes’s outstanding ability and commitment to the ideals and values of the PDP. His records of achievement as a Local Government Chairman, Chief of Staff to the Rivers State Governor, Minister of State for Education, currently Governor of Rivers State and the runner-up in the PDP Presidential Primary stand him out as possessing requisite qualities, qualifications, capacity and wide acceptability for the position of the Vice-Presidential candidate of our Party.
“The various positions creditably held by Governor Nyesom Wike distinguished him as an excellent team player in public governance.
“In fact, Governor Wike’s energy, brilliance, commitment and passion were acknowledged by the National Working Committee (NWC) of our Party and he is adjudged as the foremost candidate in consideration for the position of the Vice-Presidential candidate of the PDP.
“While the PDP notes the interest of the media and the public in our Party’s choice of Vice-Presidential candidate it is imperative to state that as an organic Party, all our processes will be followed through in strict adherence to our procedures before any official announcements.
“The PDP urges Nigerians to disregard the mischievous reports aimed at undermining our Party’s unity at this critical time.”
Wike, a former Minister for State, Education, under the Government of President Goodluck Jonathan, was a Presidential aspirant in the just concluded PDP Presidential Primary.
He came a respectable second to the winner, former VP, Atiku Abubakar.
During the campaign for the Primary, Wike had consistently emphasised that he would never be the Vice Presidential candidate and was not campaigning for that.
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