On Thursday Veteran journalist, Dele Momodu, has reacted to the decision of some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains to pull out of the 2023 campaign.
Recall that Governor Nyesom Wike’s team reportedly pulled out of the campaign council of the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, amid the lingering crisis rocking the PDP.
The development was disclosed shortly after a meeting early Wednesday morning in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
It was also learnt that members of Wike’s team, during the meeting, vowed not to play any role in Atiku’s campaign ahead of the 2023 general elections.
According to them, they have no part in the coming presidential election until the National Chairman of the party, Sen. Iyorchia Ayu, resigns his position.
Reacting to the development, Momodu, while fielding questions on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Thursday, believed that things would calm down eventually.
He also appealed to Wike, who he described as his friend and brother, not to destroy what he had worked so hard to build, adding that he should not carry it too far.
Momodu said, “Well, I believe that things will calm down eventually. We will continue to appeal to aggrieved members of the party. As a journalist you know that no matter what happens, no news can remain permanently on the front burner and that is the reason I have been appealing to my very dear friend, my good brother, governor Nyesom Wike, that, look, don’t carry it too far.
“It is months after the presidential primary, people are still angry, people are still aggrieved, which is very unfortunate. And it is important to know something, is it possible for Atiku to unilaterally remove Dr. Ayu? The answer is no.
“So those who are aggrieved should continue to engage the party and should not say things that would destroy the party because every day you attack your party, what you intend to do is to weaken the party so if tomorrow we remove Ayu and the party is dead so what have you gain?
“So for me, we must continue to engage in dialogue that is the whole basis of democracy. I think our candidate has done very well. He travelled to London to engage directly with governor Wike and his friends and his supporters and that is the right thing to do. He’s done that. And what I thought they would do was come back home to Nigeria and continue the engagement. But every day, there is a new threat against the party.
“I am worried, especially for a man who has done enough for the party. Governor Wike has been the coastal boy of PDP. He is easily the best governor in Nigeria in terms of performance and delivery of the dividends of democracy to his people and to Nigeria. He should not destroy what he has worked so hard to build.”
