A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze has denied claims by Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Minister that Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, and others caused the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to zone her 2023 Presidential ticket to the North against the party’s policy on zoning.
According to Eze, Wike’s statement is nothing but lies.
The APC chieftain stated that it was Wike who caused the PDP to throw open its 2023 presidential primaries and not either former Vice President Atiku Abubakar or Governor Bala Mohammed.
Eze said the latest claim by Wike means that Wike is just being economical with the truth.
Recall that Wike had in a recent interview stated, “We have always done it North and South,” adding that “this unspoken agreement within the party was undermined.
“In making this beguiling statement, it skipped Wike’s memory that Nigerians of sane mind will ask him questions on how the ‘gentleman agreement’ of the PDP in respect of it’s zoning policy was undermined,” he added in a statement on Monday.
“Wike deliberately refused to mention in the interview that it was his dictatorial tendencies backed by his inordinate ambition to pick the PDP Presidential ticket, that led to the collapse of the party’s policy on zoning in 2022.
“It is sad and unfortunate that some people who are saying that Wike was right on PDP zoning have refused to know the truth because they are heavily benefitting from the former Rivers State Governor’s financial inducements.
“It is instructive to state categorically that Atiku Abubakar didn’t kick against zoning the PDP Presidential ticket to the South. What the former Vice President proposed at the PDP meeting was that if the party’s presidency should be zoned to the South, it must be to the South-East.
“With Peter Obi still in the PDP, and following Atiku’s statement that he already had his choice of who to support in the South-East, Wike became jittery and started abusing Obi.
“Blindfolded by his overweening disposition, and the fact that he wanted to contest the PDP Presidential primary, Wike positioned his hangers on, who later formed the so-called G-5 to influence the PDP Presidential slot to him.
“Acting on Wike’s satanic script, the G-5 governors and their loyalists kicked against Atiku’s proposal of zoning the Presidency to the South-East, and instead voted that it should be thrown open. This was what took place and when it was thrown open, anyone at that point could contest.
“In preparing himself for the elusive 2023 PDP Presidential slot, Wike, like a dog let loose out of its cage, went on rampage, abusing Atiku, and others, boasting in the Church that the slot is just for him and nobody born by a human being can wrestle it from him after forcing Peter Obi out of PDP.
“It is on record that Peter Obi didn’t even let Atiku know of his intention to leave the PDP until he jumped ship to the Labour Party.
“Even on the venue of the PDP Presidential primary, Wike was very much convinced that he would defeat Atiku hands down, but that was the thinking of a neophyte and greenhorn when it comes to party and national politics.
“Till date, Wike is yet to recover from the political upper-cut and psychological trauma as a result of his decision to jump into the ring to engage his father (Atiku) in a bout, not knowing the stuff that Atiku is made of.
“After losing the PDP Presidential primary woefully to Atiku, in a contest he called for, and having lost out in his bid to become the PDP Vice Presidential candidate, Wike went ahead with his misguided and lilly-livered G-5 Group to ensure that PDP lost the 2023 election. The rest is now history.
“As a rampaging bulldog, Wike is hellbent on decimating the PDP in order to sustain his unholy relationship with President Bola Tinubu.
“With time, this marriage of strange political bed fellows will crumble because of Wike’s political antecedents of betrayal, blackmail, egocentrism, and tyranical tendencies.
“Finally, I wish to counsel PDP leadership to stop deceiving itself and forget the idea of reconciling with Wike, because that is not the agenda given to him in order to be relevant in his marriage off convenience with APC.
“It is believed that Wike’s pact with Tinubu is to suffocate PDP to morribond status, for Tinubu to have an easy sail in 2027. Except the leadership of the party is complicit, if not, the PDP has to look inwards and expel Wike from the party.
“More so, Wike should desist from dropping Atiku’s name in his bid to sustain his presence in the APC administration. I dare Wike to resign from the APC government, and see if he will be relevant in the scheme of things. “
