The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Ideato North/South federal constituency of Imo State in forth-coming general elections, Ikenga Ugochinyere, has said that without the efforts being channelled by the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, the PDP would have been buried by a former national chairman of the party, Ali Modu Sheriff, Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, and businessman Jimoh Ibrahim.
Uzodimma and Ibrahim were members of the Sheriff’s faction of the PDP in 2016.
Ugochinyere, in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja on Friday, said the PDP was hijacked and heading towards total crash masterminded by Sheriff, Uzodimma and Ibrahim, whom he called political double agents.
According to him, Sheriff nearly killed the PDP, saying the party was at the verge of death and burial but Governor Wike stood his ground and fought night and day, mobilised party members from every part of the country, to deal a fatal blow to Sheriff and his political guy men.
He said Wike deserves praises, adding that PDP needed him for its rescue mission in the 2023 general elections.
Ugochinyere said Wike fought against those sworn to emasculating the main opposition party, all in their bid to force a one-party State down the throats of Nigerians.
He, therefore, added that the demand for the removal of Dr. Iyorchia Ayu as the party’s National Chairman was right and will save the party from the crisis currently rocking it.
Ugochinyere said, “Ayu’s case can be likened to that of former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff, who insisted on remaining party chairman till 2018. This led to the dissolving of the national convention committee under the leadership of the great democrat Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike. I was in that fight, I fought side by side with the caretaker, Wike and Wike’s energy, intelligence and commitment helped me with the team of lawyers to knock off Sheriff and floor him in the High Court before the final battle.
“We have problems in the party but we must not forget truth, we must reach out and we must make sacrifice for peace and that is why I say removing Ayu is not something we should be negotiating. Ayu should be removed because he is a manipulator and greedy divisive element who pretends to be a man of honour but a destroyer and desperate human being. How can Ayu remove the name of Chris Ogbu who won election and shamelessly go to Supreme Court to attempt to void his election. We are bitter and removing Ayu as Chairman even in the night of election is a struggle we from Ideato can’t stop.
“Governor Nyesom Wike has stood as a bulwark against those sworn to emasculate the main opposition party, all in their bid to force a one-party State down the throats of Nigerians. He has through bold legal challenges, deepened the national consciousness on the defects in the running of our defective federal system. PDP is still alive and standing strong because of Wike’s efforts.”
