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“I don’t know why anyone who wants to be president will be afraid of a venue. Then you are not prepared for the election
“Let me warn the party, if you dare, Rivers State will teach the party a lesson. Those days have passed when they took Rivers State for granted. Nobody can use and dump Rivers State.
“Nobody should dare Rivers State any longer. Enough is enough. PDP should know that we are not a punching bag. We are not a people you can use and push. We are not harlots. Whenever you want, you come. When you finish, you push us aside.
“We will retaliate at the appropriate time”.
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, what exactly is going on in PDP?
A little background to the current crisis will be apt here.
Abuja was initially picked for the exercise to elect the party’s presidential candidate but because of Federal Government’s hostile posture (stopping the use of Eagle Square by Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso a few weeks ago), party leaders started thinking of an alternative venue.
Pronto, Port Harcourt was chosen. Immediately, some aspirants (using proxies) kicked against Rivers hosting the partisan exercise because of the belief (this may be wrong) that Wike is ‘backing, sponsoring, funding’ (whatever) a fellow governor to get the ticket. It is believed Wike is already strategising for 2023.
Now, Wike has taken it personal, forcing him to throw above tantrum.
Wike’s hardline posture, I believe, has justified the position of those kicking against Port Harcourt.
To start with, what is the meaning of ‘Let me warn the party, if you dare, Rivers State will teach the party a lesson’?
Dare what (move the venue from Port Harcourt)? Which lesson (destroy the party)?
Also, what is the meaning of ‘PDP should know that we are not a punching bag. We are not a people you can use and push. We are not harlots. Whenever you want, you come. When you finish, you push us aside’?
We all know the power politics Wike was involved in in December 2017 during the convention. Because the South-West had never produced the National Chairman, the post was zoned to it but Wike manipulated the process. He even insulted South-West members in the party. Chief Bode George withdrew from the race 24 hours to the exercise because of that insult. Prof. Tunde Adeniran staged a walkout at the Eagle Square venue in Abuja.
Directly or indirectly, Wike pushed South-West from the chairmanship position. So, what exactly is he saying now? If some presidential aspirants are kicking against Port Harcourt, it is logical to listen to them. If they are adamant, change the venue. Simple.
By saying ‘We will retaliate at the appropriate time’ (whatever that means), he has only strengthened the position of those kicking against Port Harcourt as the venue.
The question is, is Wike bigger than the party? NO.
By using the word ‘retaliation’, to me, is like going for the Biblical Samson’s option in Judges 16: 30.
Wike has already sent a very big message to Nigerians, which, I strongly believe, may work in President Muhammadu Buhari’s favour in 2019.
