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‘We must sacrifice in the interest of PDP’

By Kelvin Ebiri
16 August 2016   |   4:10 am
Did we hijack the party when he said he never wanted to be a chairman and then we came and made him chairman? If we did hijack the party then, was it to his favour? Now, we are also hijacking, and it is no longer to his favour.
Rivers State Governor and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) convention planning committee, Nyesom Wike.

Rivers State Governor and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) convention planning committee, Nyesom Wike.

Says convention backed by law

Rivers State Governor and chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) convention planning committee, Nyesom Wike, told journalists yesterday that the exercise slated for tomorrow in Port Harcourt would go ahead as it is backed by law and a court judgment. Besides, he said members must sacrifice to move the party forward. KELVIN EBIRI was at the event and reports.

Will the PDP convention still hold on Wednesday?
So many people have been wondering whether the convention will go ahead as slated or not, because of certain remarks by certain persons. But let me assure you very well as chairman of the convention that we are backed by all authority; by law, that the convention will go ahead based on the fact that the court has recognised the convention before now.

The July 4th 2016 judgment and again today (Monday) an order by the Federal High Court presided over by Justice Ibrahim Watila, reconfirmed the judgment of Justice Abdullahi Liman, that INEC should monitor the convention and security agencies should provide security as required. And you know that this matter was instituted by the Caretaker Committee against INEC and the security agencies.

One of the reasons being that the security agencies were party to the judgment of 4th July, 2016 and since the court upheld the convention that was held on the 21st May, 2016 and based on decisions that were taken at that convention, the Caretaker felt they should go a step further to make sure that the security agencies and INEC implement the judgment of the court. The report I got from the lawyer is that the court has given the go ahead, mandating INEC to monitor as required by law. Also know fully well that INEC has been dealing with Ahmed Makarfi’s Committee. By the grace of God, everything is set for the convention to take place on Wednesday.

Will you yield to Senator Sherriff’s demand that you step down as the chairman of the convention planning committee and that the convention should be moved to Abuja?
That is being petty. Now, what is the problem here? You said you are the chairman of the party and if I step down and the convention is moved to Abuja, then you will no longer be the chairman of the party. It does not make sense and nobody even agreed to that because it does not make sense. He is not in a position to determine anything.

If you allow that, then you are giving him recognition. The BoT, National Assembly caucus, the Governors’ Forum, all these organs of the party are all together that the convention must go ahead.

So the issue of me stepping down or moving the convention to Abuja does not arise. Why would the convention be moved to Abuja? Is it the first time the opposition had held convention or congresses outside the federal capital territory? Remember, the APC had its own congresses and convention in Lagos. So, what is he looking for that he says it must be in Lagos or Abuja? Is it a personal matter? I am not going to step down because he is not in a position to determine that. Nobody will heed to that kind of demand.

Is it true that you and governor Fayose have hijacked the PDP?
Did we hijack the party when he said he never wanted to be a chairman and then we came and made him chairman? If we did hijack the party then, was it to his favour? Now, we are also hijacking, and it is no longer to his favour. When did he come into the party? We have been in the party since its formation. Am I going to hijack something from you that just became a member or I am going to hijack from somebody who has been a member of the party? What people do not understand is that you must make sacrifice. We were the ones who stood behind him and the party said this man couldn’t be our chairman. You cannot be right when everybody said we couldn’t accept this.

Then you are insensitive to the plight of the people.

We thought he had what it takes to manage the party at that period and you can see the kind of reaction from everybody. 99 percent of the party said we couldn’t accept such a character. And as listening ears of the party we said since the generality of the party members are saying this man is not acceptable, we had to agree with the majority of members. The problem of some people is how to make sacrifice for the party’s interest. What is he looking for that he cannot say for the interest of the party, I make sacrifice?

Remember, that when he was made the chairman of this party, the governor of Kano state came out and said that Sherriff was going to work for them. Remember, the governor of Borno state said Sherriff was going to destroy the party. Now, if I were him based on the statements, what he ought to have done is to prove these people wrong that I am not going to work for them, and that I am not going to destroy the PDP. He is now confirming what these governors already said that he was going to work for them in APC. It is clear as these governors predicted because they know him very well. There is nothing wrong when you have better information; you act according to the better information at your disposal. As at the time we were supporting him, we were not hijacking the party. Now, we say, listen to the voice of the people, we have hijacked the party.

I am going to do everything that is required to support the party. So such allegation of hijacking the party is neither here nor there. If you believe in the party there is no sacrifice you cannot make. One person alone cannot dictate to the party. Governors are saying no. BoT is saying no. National Assembly caucus is saying no. Former governors are saying no. Founding members are saying no and you are the only one saying you are right. Then you must have something you are plotting to do and thank God it’s revealed on time.

Isn’t the issue of zoning creating disquiet within the PDP?
There is no decision that you will take whether in Government or in an Association that people will not have different option. To say I am loyal is not by mere words of the mouth. Loyalty goes beyond that. You will make sacrifices to show that you are loyal to the party. Take for example, when we were supporting Sherriff, look at the pressure that came and we knew we couldn’t continue with this. And we said look, because we are loyal to the party, we must heed to what the party is talking about for the interest of the party and that made us to say lets leave this programme and go along with the majority.

That is loyalty and that is sacrifice that you have to make. If the party has taken a decision that they are zoning, it pains and hurts when it affects your own ambition, but again, that is what calls for sacrifices and loyalty to the party. Loyalty to the party goes beyond saying that I am loyal. Your attitude, your conduct will show whether you are loyal to the party or not. If a party takes a decision, it may not be for your own interest, but because you are loyal to the party, you will make sacrifice to the party.

Our party constitution recognises zoning. So, having zoned chairmanship to the south and having zoned certain offices to the north, the leaders of the each of the zones met and say look this is the way we are going to do things. It may not suit any particular person, but that does not disqualify an individual who does not believe in that. That is what we talk about loyalty and sacrifices to the party. It is a very serious thing. This is what shows who is loyal to the party and who can make sacrifice for the party. On zoning, the leaders in the South had zoned. The leaders in the North had zoned. It may not suit everybody, but we are saying that this is the time for everybody to make sacrifice.

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