Rivers state governor Nyesom Wike has stated that the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) committed anti-party activity when it refused to zone the presidential ticket to the south. 

  Kelvin Ebiri, Wike’s special assistant on media, said in a statement that the governor spoke on Wednesday when some senators-elect visited him at his residence in Rumueprikom, Obio/Akpor LGA of the state.

In the build-up to the PDP primary in May 2022, some party stakeholders demanded that the presidential ticket be zoned to the south. However, the party refuses to zone, throwing the contest for the presidential ticket open. Wike said the decision of the PDP leadership to abandon zoning was in “clear violation of the party’s constitution” which led to the party’s defeat in the presidential election on February 5.

He said section 7(3)(c) of the PDP constitution demands that in the principles of equity, justice, and fairness the party “shall adhere” to the policy of rotation of elective and appointive offices. “We are proud to have produced the three senators. Out of the 13 houses of reps, they have announced 10, and we (PDP) have taken nine. We believe that when the election is done in the other ones, we will also emerge victorious because Rivers state has always been with PDP as regards the issues of our local elections,” he said.

Ada Peter