By Paul Akalonu
Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has said once again that no one can persuade him to rethink his opinion that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should hand up the national chairmanship to Southern Nigeria.
The governor expressed regret that his efforts to reach a peaceful conclusion to the PDP problem had been thwarted by party members he referred to as ‘rent-seekers’ within the party.
On Wednesday night, the governor received all Cross River State PDP candidates and local government party chairmen at his private villa in Rumueprikom.
Governor Wike has insisted that he cannot be persuaded to support the present statusquo, in which the PDP presidential candidate, national chairman, and Director General of the presidential campaign council are all from the north.
He stated that refusing to hand up the national chairmanship to the South will lead to crisis.
He stressed that, for the purpose of peace, the PDP should adhere to its constitution’s fundamentals, which specifically state that when a presidential candidate emerges from the north, the national chairman should be from the south.
The governor stated that the call for the PDP chairman to be allocated to the South will continue until justice, fairness, and equality prevail in the PDP.
