Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and a presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the National Working Committee (NWC) members of the party to work for his emergence as the candidate of the party.
Wike, who was addressing members of the NWC at the party secretariat, on Tuesday, said he campaigned for them and it is now their turn to pay back.
The governor said when he was fighting the former NWC members, some of the current leaders were against him.
“One good turn deserves another. So you people should also pay back. Because you didn’t go to campaign, but now I am coming to campaign. So pay back.”
The Rivers Governor also asked the party leaders to conduct a free and fair election, saying “that will be an advantage for us to win in 2023.”
Wike said he is the candidate with the capacity and courage to win the election for the opposition party.
He urged Nigerians and the PDP to sack the APC that has “promised Nigerians heaven and earth”, but failed to keep the promise.
“Nigerians are waiting. Who are we going to present? What is the track record of that person? What did you do, as at the time you were there, what happened?”
“Not those who you give tickets to, tomorrow they fail, you won’t see them in the party again. And when you don’t give them the ticket, they will also leave the party; that is not the way it should be.”
On the consensus, the Rivers Governor said, “I don’t believe in these people going around on consensus. I told them that their consensus move is ‘shine shine bobo’ the more you look, the less you see. I say am not going to buy it. It will not work.
” I believe in consensus, but based on equity, justice and fairness. But not consensus by those who have conspired, they think they can bring me in, but nobody can bring me into it.”
In his response, the PDP National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, assured the Governor that “this NWC will try to uphold the tradition of the PDP, that tradition since 1999 is running very credible, transparent conventions starting from Jos to the last one that produced this National Working Committee.
” I want to assure you, that there will be no foul play no manipulation, we will certainly do better than what you did in October last year. We will hold an absolutely transparent convention. We’ll try as much as possible to make sure that every member of the National Working Committee works for the party.” (Daily trust)
