Nyesom Wike, Rivers State governor, has declared that he will not leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for whatever cause and anybody.
The governor stated that he was rather interested in preserving the sanity of the party and will stay back to fight for the enthronement of unity, inclusivity, equity and peace in the PDP.
Governor Wike made the declaration at the Rivers State PDP stakeholders meeting at Government House, Port Harcourt on Thursday.
The governor said he is a man of character, unlike those who cannot keep their words and walked out of the party at the Eagle Square in Abuja in 2014.
“One thing I have always told people is, if anybody is thinking, doing 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’ve forgot. 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. So, everybody should know this is the state where we are. So that nobody tells you all kind of stories.”
Governor Wike insisted that the constitution of the party clearly stated that elective and party offices must be zoned which, should be respected.
Governor Wike wondered why the former PDP BOT chairman will be pressurised to resign and the PDP national chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu is excusing himself from keeping to doing what is right.
“You have taken presidential candidate, you have taken party chairman, you have also taken the D.G (director general) of the campaign. We are talking about party politics. Decisions are made by the presidential candidate, chairman of the party and the D.G of the campaign.
He explained that it took courage and firmness for him to protect the interest and assets of Rivers State without compromising it with politics.
Governor Wike explaining that besides securing a refund of money illegally deducted by the federal government over the Police Trust Fund, his administration recovered oil wells wrongly ceded to Imo State and is collecting the accruing revenue from the oil wells in disputed area between Rivers and Bayelsa States.
The governor stated that the federal government won’t be able to use the army and the police in the 2023 election, because Nigerians will vote for political parties on the basis of their performance.
Governor Wike caution party members who want to be moles and work against the PDP because they were not given the ticket that they sought.
The governor urged party members to be steadfast because God is on their side, and since they have not known defeat, PDP cannot be defeated in 2023 general election in Rivers State.
In his response, State Chairman of the PDP, Ambassador Desmond Akawor said the party in the state has already passed a vote of confidence on governor Wike for the way he has piloted the affairs of the State.
He commended the governor for the consistent delivery of projects, defending the interest of the State, and declared that they will continue to follow the leadership that he provides.