The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may be in crisis, as the party’s National Working Committee, led by Iyorchia Ayu, plans to crack down on Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and his allies.
There are indications that the party leadership may suspend some supporters of the PDP’s five disgruntled governors, known as the G-5.
This comes just hours after the PDP NWC suspended the party’s Ebonyi State Chairman, Okorie Tochukwu Okoroafor, for alleged anti-party activities.
According to sources within the party who spoke with Vanguard, Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu could be targeted in the next two weeks.
One of the sources said;
It is unfortunate that we lost our candidate in Abia State, Prof. Uche Ikonne, who, until his death, was the handpicked successor of Ikpeazu.
Now, Governor Ikpeazu invited Governor Wike to perform the function of handing over the party flag to Ikonne, a function which ordinarily was reserved for the National Chairman or a party official he assigns to perform such a function on his behalf.
There will be a governorship primary and it is only the National Chairman and Secretary that can write INEC, it is the Ayu-led NWC that has the constitutional responsibility to conduct this primary.
Ikpeazu will be fighting the political battle of his life to handpick another successor because there are many interests within and outside Abia now at play.
The party leadership bent over backwards to accommodate his interests, and gave him all the support but what did we get in return?
Like it or not, the party leadership and our presidential candidate and his team will be interested in who becomes the candidate because the party’s overall interest is at stake. The next couple of weeks will be interesting.