By Adeleye Kunle
Senator Anietie Okon, a Peoples Democratic Party chieftain, has warned the opposition party against ignoring Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and his supporters.
Any attempt by the PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to ignore Wike will spell doom for the party in the 2023 general elections, according to Okon.
In an interview with The Punch in Uyo on Sunday, Okon, the party’s pioneer National Publicity Secretary, said Wike is one of the party’s formidable forces who has stood by it at all times and cannot be ignored.
He described Wike as a key member of the PDP who had given his time and resources to help build and sustain the party.
“Wike has been an active member of the party. He has done so much for the PDP and has remained a devoted member. So, considering ignoring him is akin to making a murderous decision, especially after a committee appointed by the party voted strongly in favor of him. This is crucial; every other consideration is irrelevant.
“As a result, I will advise Atiku, the PDP presidential candidate whom I have congratulated, to do everything in his power to resolve the situation amicably for the 2023 presidential election,” he said.
Wike supporters are still upset about the outcome of Atiku’s presidential primary, and have set conditions that are difficult for Atiku and the PDP to accept.
The situation was said to have deteriorated when Atiku chose Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate against Wike, who had been recommended by an ad hoc committee set up for that purpose.
In response to the development, some PDP leaders and governors have openly expressed their displeasure with Okowa’s selection and how Wike was treated throughout the saga.
However, some APC governors led by Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, and Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State paid Wike a visit last week Friday in Port Harcourt.
This article first appeared on Track News
