Confusion, Panick Rattles PDP as Fayemi Visits Wike

Edited by Shola Akingboye – Sept 21, 2019

There is no gainsaying the fact that recent weeks have been challenging for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), particularly as the recent congratulatory message extended to President Muhammadu Buhari by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike following the Appeal Court’s verdict, which validated the  election of the President as the winner of the 2019 Presidential election.

Many believe this may just be a tip of an ice bag, but the biggest slap on the face of the major opposition PDP was the recent visit of the Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, from a rival All Progressive Congress (APC). These moves appeared to be more damaging and have rattled PDP into a more confused entity as a party.

Nyesom Wike has been touted as one of PDP’s pillar of strength, and a perceived financier of the party that when he sneezes, the party seem to catch a cold.

Following recent utterances of the governor,  the party has suffered one sleepless night after the other, particularly since the governor stormed out of the venue of the presidential primaries of the party from which Alhaji Atiku Abubakar emerged the presidential candidate of the PDP in the build-up to the 2019 general elections. Since then, he has taken various other actions that left the minders of the party worried.

For instance, in the aftermath of the National Assembly elections where Hon. Kingsley Chinda, the candidate he and other party chieftains supported for the minority leader’s seat in the House of Representatives lost to Hon. Ndidi Elumelu, Wike roundly condemned the panel set up by the party to investigate the ‘coup’ against the party, describing it as corrupt.

Then came the dismissal of Atiku’s petition in the case he filed at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal against Buhari’s re-election. While the leaders and chieftains of PDP kicked against the judgment, Wike openly congratulated Buhari. Wike’s move sparked anger in PDP’s camp as chieftains of the party called his loyalty to question.

In the midst of these comes the rapport the Rivers State governor developed with his Ekiti State counterpart, Dr. Kayode Fayemi. This became more prominent since Fayemi took his stand on Wike’s side in the latter’s alleged demolition of a mosque in Port Harcourt. Fayemi has since followed this up with a visit to Wike in Port Harcourt, where he also commissioned projects.

The development has left many wondering if Fayemi’s actions were impelled by his position as the Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) or a prelude to an agenda that is yet to unfold. The more curious observers are even asking if Fayemi is anointed to midwife Wike’s final parting of ways with the PDP as is being speculated in some quarters.

The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is in a fix on how to handle Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State who they believe is a threat to the party’s unity.

Party sources cited the governor’s action which forced it to hold its National Convention last year in Port Harcourt as against its initial plan to hold it in Abuja; his recent criticism of the panel set up to investigate the circumstances surrounding the emergence of Mr. Ndidi Elumelu as the PDP minority leader in the House of Representatives ahead of the governor’s personal choice, Mr Kingsley Chinda; and the governor’s congratulatory message to President Muhammadu Buhari following the verdict of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal which upheld the outcome of the February election.

The party and its candidate are displeased with the verdict and have vowed to go to the Supreme Court to seek redress.

Party sources yesterday described Wike’s actions as conflicting with PDP’s interests.

One source said although the governor has bailed the party out of many financial difficulties, he seems to be setting out on a collision course with the party or sees himself as untouchable with some of his recent utterances.

Party sources admitted that though some governor’s utterances were indeed not in the best interest of the party, it was imperative to manage the situation with all the necessary tact so as not to rock the boat and in view of the strategic importance of Rivers State to the party.

Sources recalled how Wike pressurised the party leadership to concede the position of House of Reps minority leader to his candidate as compensation for his contributions and the loss of his candidate in the presidential primaries, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal.

However, Elumelu outsmarted both Wike and the party to get the position.

Bid to appease Wike fails

To appease the governor’s feelings, the PDP had summoned Elumelu and some of his loyalists in the House for explanations on why they went against the party’s directive, but they spurned the summons and were subsequently suspended for one month.

Also affected by the suspension order were Lynda Ikpeazu, Wole Oke, Anayo Edwin, Gideon Gwadi, Toby Okechukwu and Adekoya Abdul-Majid.

While the controversy raged, the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), on July 9, raised a five-man committee to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the Reps’ act of “recalcitrance”, with the committee given three weeks to submit its report.

A former President of the Senate, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, was chairman of the committee.

Other members were Senator David Mark, Senator Adolphus Wabara, Senator Ibrahim Mantu and a former Deputy Reps Speaker, Austin Opara who served as secretary to the committee. However, Opara resigned from the committee before it concluded its assignment.

But while the report of the committee was being awaited, Governor Wike openly accused members of the committee of corruption, saying they had compromised their integrity.

“The Committee set up by the PDP on the illegal emergence of Ndudi Elumelu is the most corrupt committee ever set up by the party,” he said.

“We thank our worthy son, Rt Hon Austin Opara, for withdrawing from that committee, so that he is not entangled in the illegal activities of the tainted committee.”

He warned the PDP not to toy with Rivers State, saying it was not in the interest of the party to do so.

“We are warning PDP to be careful not to toy with Rivers State. Rivers State has all it takes to withstand the PDP and fight the party to a standstill.

“The Rivers State Governor is not one of those governors that anyone can cajole. The Rivers State governor is not one of those governors that will kowtow to their illicit activities,” Wike had declared.

Meanwhile, a jolted Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party quickly responded to the governor’s outburst by calling several meetings to deliberate on the report of the Ayu committee.

Confusion over Ayu committee’s report

What followed its last meeting held at the party’s Abuja secretariat on Thursday was a drama that put the entire BoT and the NWC in a fix.

At a joint press briefing shortly after the meeting, the chairman of the BoT, Senator Walid Jubrin, and the Secretary, Wabara, openly disagreed over the status of the committee’s report on Elumelu.

While Jubrin said that the BoT had received the Ayu committee report but was yet to submit same to the party’s NWC, Wabara countered him, saying: “We have considered the report and we have submitted the report on Elumelu to the NWC.”

The foregoing was followed by muffled disagreement between the two elderly party chieftains, with the BoT chair raising objection to the Secretary’s statement even as the latter stood his ground.

Although their verbal exchange was in hushed tones, it was audible enough for journalists to hear their voices.

The disagreement dragged till the end of the press briefing, with the two board members frowning and mumbling at each other as they left the venue and walked through the drizzling rain into their waiting cars.

It was gathered that Elumelu was able to impress it on the Ayu committee that it would be unfair and unjust for Wike to impose the national chairman on the party and also impose the Minority Leader from the same state.

Curiously, while the BoT meeting was still ongoing, earlier in the day, the leadership of the party issued a statement regarding the disputed report.

Spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the NWC had not received the said report from the BoT.

The statement reads in full: “In the light of public enquiries and conflicting reports on the position of the leadership of our great party on issues related to the minority leadership of the House of Representatives;

“The National Working Committee (NWC) hereby clarifies that it has not yet received any report from the Board of Trustees (BoT) concerning the outcome of the five-member committee it set up to intervene on the contentious matter.

“Consequently, the NWC maintains that it has not taken any decision to review its subsisting stance on the minority leadership of the House of Representatives.

“The NWC therefore urges critical stakeholders, party members and the general public to completely disregard any report to the contrary.”

Party silent on Wike’s bombshell

The party and its National chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, who was sponsored for the position by Wike, have also been silent on Wike’s allegation that some PDP governors routinely pay homage to Buhari at night at the Presidential Villa.

He was responding to criticism after he congratulated Buhari on the verdict of the tribunal.

Some party members believe that Secondus does not want to offend Wike, his benefactor.

But Secondus dismissed the insinuation, saying that there was nothing on ground to suggest that he was being influenced by the Rivers State governor.

His media adviser, Ike Abonyi, who spoke with our correspondent yesterday, said there is the tendency for people to see the chairman in that light for the simple reason that Secondus and Wike are both from Rivers State.

Regarding the governor’s congratulatory message to President Buhari and the chairman’s silence, Abonyi said the national leadership of the party had stated its position on the tribunal’s judgment and that the party’s position remained supreme.

Asked to comment on what stakeholders described as disturbing trends in the PDP fold, Ologbondiyan had said: “It’s internal affairs of our party and we are resolving it.”

Governors of seven states of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) met on Friday in Port Harcourt, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. Nyesom Wike According to Mr Simeon Nwakaudu, Special Assistant (Electronic Media) to Gov. Nyesom Wike, the meeting was attended by Govs. Umaru Fintiri (Adamawa), Emeka Ihedioha (Imo); Seyi Makinde (Oyo); Samuel Ortom (Benue); Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto); and Mohammed Mattawale (Zamfara).

After the meeting, Tambuwal explained that the governors were in Rivers to commend Wike “for his sustained projects delivery’’. He said the governors urged him to continue to deliver quality projects and sustain good governance for the development of Rivers State. Tambuwal also said that PDP remained strongly united in friendship and brotherhood.

He said: “We are here as brothers and friends to the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, in the spirit of brotherhood and friendship. “We are here to encourage and support him for the good governance he has given to the good people of Rivers State. “The 100 days of the second term of Governor Wike is also why we are here.

“The spirit in Port Harcourt and Rivers State is that of celebration and thanksgiving and gratitude to God for such a wonderful leadership by Governor Wike. “We are also here to join him and the good people of Rivers State in thanking God for his leadership and to thank God for giving the state a wonderful leader like him.”Additional report, credit Vanguard/The Nation