The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has warned that any act to dismiss the influence of Wike and his team will need the PDP and Atiku to lose the 2023 election.
Newsonline reports that Ortom said the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Iyrochia Ayu failed to use the internal mechanisms of the party to resolve the injustice done to Wike, himself and other members of the Wike camp.
Governor Ortom who stated this at the New Banquet Hall of the Government in Makurdi, on Monday, said his interest is for justice to be done.
Recall that Wike and his team, which includes, Ortom, Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, Enugu State governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, have maintained their stand that the national chairman of the PDP Ayu must resign from his position for a Southerner to take over.
This Wike said was the promise Ayu made at a meeting held in the residence of Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed in Abuja, which had Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate in attendance.
According to the Rivers State governor, Ayu before the May PDP presidential primary election promised to resign from his position if a Northerner wins the primary election.
Ayu has however maintained that he would only leave the national chairman position if his four-year tenure expires.
The former senate president’s insistence to hold onto his mandate until after four years has turned the PDP apart since the end of its primary in May.
The fights have also caused the resignation of the former Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman, Walid Jibrin, who resigned to give a Southerner a chance.
Walid’s resignation led to the appointment of Adolphus Wabara, but Wike’s camp said the post of BoT chairman given to the South to appease was an advisory role that has no decision-making impact on the party.
READ ALSO: PDP Governors Beg Wike To Drop Ayu-Must-Go Call
Warning of the implication of ignoring Wike and his team with months to the official campaign for the 2023 election, Ortom said, “If you dismiss us and say you do not need us, I believe that will be dangerous. I want the party to address the injustices so that as we move into the elections, we will work together and we will have no crisis.”
He added, “There is injustice that has been meted to my friend Wike because he stood for the party and supported it to the end.
Ortom further blamed Ayu and the National Executive Council (NEC) that passed a vote of confidence of the national chairman for managing the injustice meted on Wike and his group.
“The leadership of the party should do the needful to resolve the problem and not to shove people around as though they are not relevant. Everyone is relevant and one vote can make one fail at the elections,” he added.
The Benue State governor who was among the team that had meetings with the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu and the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi said the national leadership must understand that politics is personal interest which must be protected.
He added that without the interest of the people of Benue State being protected, he cannot convince them to vote for the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar.
Ortom further called on the national leadership of the party to use the remaining weeks to the official campaign to resolve all issues in the party using internal mechanism.
He said, “The leadership at the national level should do more. Politics is interest and what is the interest if not our state and our people? What do I tell my people in Benue?”
He advised, “National PDP failed to use its internal mechanism to resolve crisis rocking the party.
