Rivers: PDP Youths Tackle Wike, Say exclusion Claim By Atiku False

Youths in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under the aegis of PDP Young Stakeholders, Lagos branch, has berated Rivers State governor, Nysom Wike, over his comments that the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, did not consult him before appointing members from Rivers State into his campaign council.

According to the group, Governor Wike’s claim lack the merit of truthfulness.

In a statement issued Monday evening in Abuja, in reaction to Wike’s claim of exclusion from PDP PCC, signed by Dr Tai Oyekan, Governor Wike can be likened to a prodigal son who took his inheritance in annoyance.

Oyekan said, “To put the records straight, and which can be corroborated by every stakeholder in the party, that the PDP and its presidential candidate consulted all governors and leaders in each state before nominating members into the presidential campaign council.

“Whereas all state governors made nominations into the council, it was only in Rivers State that the governor refused to forward his nominations into the council. It was therefore upon the refusal of the governor that the PDP and its presidential candidate went ahead by their own discretion to make nominations into the council.

“It is public knowledge that Governor Wike has gone amok with the party since is failure to emerge as presidential candidate of the party and has stated, publicly also, that he will not cooperate with the party in our presidential campaign.”

The youths group likened Governor Wike to a prodigal son who took his inheritance in annoyance.

Oyekan continued: “But we are hopeful that the party, as father to all, will have rectitude to receive to accept Governor Wike bad as a prodigal son whenever he return in penitence.

“But before then, we wish to admonish Governor Wike that for the purpose of posterity, he should desist from telling lies against the PDP and leaders of the party. Nigeria operates a democratic politics and that means that Governor Wike has the rights of participation or otherwise. Be that as it may, however, he alone does not approximate River State.

“There are respected leaders who have made their marks in life and politics and are indigenes of Rivers State. We consider it inglorious on the part of the governor that he would describe such people as ‘enemies of Rivers State’ only because they refuse to be a party of his solo-travel to political obscurity.

“We also want to urge members of the PDP in Rivers and everywhere else, that the party is cohesive and there are many groups, like ours, who are ready to work assiduously for the success of the party in all levels of the election next year.”