Governor Wike lashes out at PDP candidates opposed to Rivers State hosting its national convention

RIVERS State governor Nyesom Wike has lashed out at members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) opposed to his state hosting the party's forthcoming national convention taking place on October 5 and 6 in Port Harcourt.

Next weekend, the PDP will meet in Port Harcourt to among other things determine who will be its presidential candidate in next February's elections. Candidates seeking the party ticket include Atiku Abubakar, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Aminu Tambuwal, Bukola Saraki, Ibrahim Dankwambo, Sule Lamido, Tanimu Turaki, Attahiru Bafarawa, Jonah Jang, Ahmed Datti and David Mark.

However, some PDP members have questioned the decision to hold the convention in Port Harcourt as it is the home state of Governor Wike, the party's major financier and Prince Uche Secondus the PDP chairman. Prince Secondus has been known to back Sokoto State governor Aminu Tambuwal, prompting some party members to suggest that the convention be moved to a more neutral venue.

Governor Wike has lashed out at presidential aspirants supporting this view, saying they are not living up to their campaign promise about to restructure the country. Describing the opposition to Port Harcourt as strange, Governor Wike said there was no other way to explain such cold feeling towards holding the convention in Port Harcourt apart from the fact that the aspirants involved do not have the economic interest of Rivers State and the Niger Delta at heart.

“Those who are against the PDP convention holding in Port Harcourt don’t have the economic interest of Rivers and Niger Delta at heart. If you are telling the people of the state and by extension Niger Delta that you don’t want such event to hold in their domain as an aspirant, how will you act when you become a president? and how do you expect the people you are telling that you don’t like their state to vote for you during the election?” Governor Wike added.

Furthermore, the governor said that it was worrisome that the same people who have been traversing the length and breadth of the country calling for the restructuring of Nigeria were the aspirants kicking against the choice of Port Harcourt as venue for the convention. He added that their opposition to Port Harcourt as a venue for the convention means the restructuring campaign is a mere lip service.

According to Governor Wike, all the aspirants will enjoy a level playing field, adding that the choice of Port Harcourt is not meant to give any aspirant an edge over others. he added that the person who will emerge the candidate of the party will do so on the basis of his political clout and not on any other consideration.

Governor Wike said: “Every aspirant will be given a level playing field and the fact that the convention is holding in Port Harcourt does not mean anybody will have undue advantage. What it will do for the state is that it will boost its local economy because groundnut, sachet water sellers and food vendors will have more sales and hoteliers will also record increased business.

"That is the only thing Rivers State stands to gain from the holding of the convention in Port Harcourt and anybody who is against us hosting the event does not like the state.  He is against the economic interest of the state.”

According to Governor Wike, what every PDP member needs at the moment is not to bicker over the choice of convention venue but to work in unity to achieve the goal of the party which he said is to wrest power from the governing APC. He added that the party does not need any division at this moment as its goal must be to win in 2019.