PDP national convention: Wike blasts presidential aspirants opposed to P/Harcourt venue, says they are against Rivers, Delta

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- Gov Nyesom Wike says PDP presidential aspirants opposed to holding the party’s national convention in P/Harcourt don’t have the interest of Rivers and Delta states at heart

- Wike insisted that all the aspirants will enjoy a level playing field; stressing that the choice of Port Harcourt is not meant to give any aspirant an edge over others

- He called on all PDP members to work together to wrest power from the All Progressives Congress (APC)

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirants allegedly opposed to the holding of the party’s October 5 and 6 national convention in Port Harcourt have been lambasted by the Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike.

Wike described the alleged opposition to the venue as strange; stating that there was no other way to explain such cold feeling towards holding the convention in Port Harcourt apart from the fact that the aspirants involved had no economic interest of Rivers and Niger Delta at heart, Vanguard reports.

NAIJ.com gathers that the governor also said the aspirants in question are not living up to their campaign for the restructuring of the country..

He said: “Those who are against the PDP convention holding in Port Harcourt don’t have the economic interest of Rivers and Niger Delta at heart .

“If you are telling the people of the state and by extension Niger Delta that you don’t want such event to hold in their domain as an aspirant, how will you act when you become a president?

“How do you expect the people you are telling that you don’t like their state to vote for you during the election?”

He continued: “Why are they not acting in tandem with their campaign for the restructuring of Nigeria? From their opposition to Port Harcourt, it means the restructuring campaign is a mere lip service.”

Wike insisted that all the aspirants will enjoy a level playing field; stressing that the choice of Port Harcourt is not meant to give any aspirant an edge over others.

He said: “Every aspirant will be given a level playing field. That it is holding in Port Harcourt does not mean anybody will have undue advantage.

“What it will do for the state is that it will boost its local economy because groundnut, sachet water sellers and food vendors will have more sales. Hoteliers will also record increased business.

“That is the only thing Rivers state stands to gain from the holding of the convention in Port Harcourt; and anybody who is against Port Harcourt hosting the event does not like the state. He is against the economic interest of the state.”

He called on all PDP members to work together to wrest power from the All Progressives Congress (APC), instead of bickering over the choice of convention venue.

He said: “We need to work together; we don’t need any division at this moment. Our goal must be to win in 2019.”

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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that a coalition of Northern youths within the PDP accused the leadership of the party of conniving with Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike, to rig the presidential primaries of the party by moving the convention to Port Harcourt.

In a press statement signed by its convener, Honourable Awwal Dahiru, the group alleged that the plot by the Uche Secondus-led National Working Committee is to move the convention to Port Harcourt to enable Governor Wike conveniently install his preferred aspirant as the presidential candidate of the party.

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