The People’s Democratic Party’s National Working Committee views the upcoming presidential election as a monumental task and has decided to address the alleged anti-party activities of the Governor Nyesom Wike-led Integrity Group after the vote.
Recall that Wike of Rivers State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, Samuel Ortom of Benue, and Seyi Makinde of Oyo withdrew from the PDP Presidential Campaign Council last year, stating that they would not participate in the campaigns unless Iyorchia Ayu, the party’s national chairman, resigned from his position.
The governors have since pitched their tents with their preferred presidential candidates in response to Ayu’s refusal to leave and Atiku Abubakar, the PDP candidate’s apparent lack of interest in the former Senate President’s dismissal.
Ikpeazu and Ugwuanyi are reportedly torn between Atiku and Obi, while Makinde and Wike were purported to be working for Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress. However, Ortom has openly endorsed Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
Findings, however, showed that Ayu would use the big stick to enforce the party’s dominance in accordance with the PDP constitution after the election.
Former governor of a state in the North-West and current member of the PDP National Executive Committee revealed to “Punch” in confidence that the behavior of the displeased governors infuriated party stakeholders on all fronts and warned that failure to call them to order would prompt many questions from party faithful.
The NEC member said, “We watched every day how these leaders ridiculed the party. Nobody said they had no reasons to be aggrieved, but we generally agreed that there were other ways to speak on the issues than the way they did.
“When the elders (Board of Trustees) intervened, we all thought the crisis was over, but it only got worse. We expect some sanctions, although the leadership of the party will set in motion what to do with them.
“At the NEC, it was nothing short of a disgrace to wake up to see governors dancing not in solidarity with their party, but with rival parties to cast aspersions on the same PDP that catapulted them to national prominence.
“It’s a good thing that Ayu is focused on the elections, but we would like to see what happens after that.”
When reached for comment, Ibrahim Abdullahi, the PDP’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, refused to confirm or deny the fate of the Integrity Group, telling our correspondent that “we will wait until it is confirmed” what the party intends to do.
The biggest indication of what lies ahead for the Wike-led group came from the Deputy National Youth Leader of the party, Timothy Osadolor, who told “Punch” that sanction for the aggrieved governors “is not a question of if but when.”
Osadolor stated, “How else could they have worked against the party than they have already? If they didn’t know that there would be sanctions, they wouldn’t be running to their states’ High Courts to procure ex-parte orders, but they are merely buying time.
“They know that they have erred, and the full wrath of the law will fall upon them. It’s not a matter of if, but of when.”
Osadolor added, “When the dust of elections is over, the party will revisit the issue. The party is supreme. Head or tail, their issue will be treated.”