This was even as he said some aspirants who have since picked nomination forms to vie for the party’s forthcoming presidential primary, billed to take place in Port-Harcourt, were not presidential materials but merely making noise with a view to seek settlement from viable ones.
Even as he alleged that there were moles among the returnee presidential aspirants,he vowed not to expose them by calling their names.
Wike, who spoke while featuring in the Channel Television morning programmes, Sunrise Daily, insisted that not all the current presidential aspirants of the PDP were genuine, saying they mere to carry out the script of the ruling party with a view to destabilizing the PDP.
He revealed how he outsmarted the ruling party during the last PDP elective convention that produced the party’s current chairman, Uche Secondus, contrary the APC expectation, promising that the PDP would replicate the same feat during the coming national convention in his home state.
He debunked insinuations in some quarters that he was working to install his preferred presidential candidate of the party,during the convention, saying he had no particular candidate in mine just as he promised a level-playing exercise.
The governor also challenged aspirants trying to use their continued stay and loyalty to the PDP after its 2015 defeat to whip sentiment to prove the level of PDP success in their states during the 2015 election.
“It’s not because you have been on the party since 1998, it’s not a criterion. The criteria is ‘I’m a presidential material, I can make a change in this country.’
“It does not mean that anybody who collects form will want to be the president of Nigeria. It’s not correct and I don’t want to be deceived by that. It’s just like for example today in Rivers State, it’s PDP and someone who even knows that he does not want to run for governorship under the PDP would want to seek attention so the governor can approach him and say ‘look, why don’t you step down and let’s talk and he now says yes, I will. ..
While denying that he would influence delegates to swing in favour of his preferred aspirant,the governor said:”No,members of the National Assembly are statutory delegates, House of Assembly members are statutory delegates, council chairmen are statutory delegates, party chairmen are statutory delegates and the only thing you can say is the election of national delegates which is at least, one per local government. So how do you influence that?”
Speaking on expected grievances by some committed members of the party if presidential ticket is given to any returnee member,he said: “You know, I tell people when you say those who betrayed you,those who left the party, I would asked that you that was in the party, what did you do and what was the result like in your state during the 2015 election?”
“Yes,hele left the party before the election and you stayed behind but what was the result of the party in your state if you claim you didn’t betray the party? He asked.
When his Channel Television interviewers asked if he was talking about someone in specific, he responded thus:”No, you are saying that if those who returned to the party are given the ticket, that may anger the persons who have been loyal and remained in the party.”My question is that, you that remains in the party, what was the result of the party in your state in the last election in 2015? ”
“Remember that all the presidential aspirants are from the North. Some of the aspirants left the party prior to the 2015 elections and some remained in the party. And my question now is you that remained in the party, what was the result of the party in your state during the election? He further asked.
He said: “You see, I have told people that I cannot buy such sentiment. I prefer dealing with people who will tell me ‘look, I’m not so comfortable with this and therefore, I will not participate in it’ than you that says ‘there’s no problem, I’m okay with it and turn around to do something different.'”
According to Governor Wike,”Most of them betrayed the party. If you look at the PDP today and look at some of those declaring interest to contest under it, you will know that some of those who stayed back are not presidential materials. And because you remained, you want to be given the ticket? ”
When asked he can reconcile his earlier promise of a level-playing ground for all the aspirants and his assertion that some were not presidential materials, he said:”
When I said level playing ground, it means that everybody should have the opportunity without favouring a particular candidate. That again, does not mean that as I am today, I cannot reach those whom I know are serious who want to run on the platform of the PD.”
“That is why I’m a politician. You don’t expect that as a governor, I shouldn’t be able to read and understand the political situation to say for instance,” among the three of you, this may be a better candidate than the other.
“I should be able to look at all the aspirants, their presentations, their backgrounds and their antecedents and I should be able to know among the “A, B and C who is serious and who’s not,” he added.
Wike dismissed insinuations in some quarters that he has the ace to who picks the PDP’s presidential ticket since the presidential primary election is holding in his state.
“I am just a delegate. How can I be more than a delegate, how? The convention is having all the 36 states of the country. I’m not a member of the National Planning Committee of the PDP, I’m only giving them venue for the convention. I’m not going to be the Chairman of the Convention Planning Committee, I’m not going to be a member.”
On what he would do to avoid defection of some aspirants that may lose out”, Governor Wike said:”If you believe in the party, if you believe you want to have a change of government, then you must not say ‘it must be me.’ If you believe that you are a committed member of the PDP, why should you say ‘it must be me?'”
Even when he denied having bias for any particular candidate, the Rivers State governor said:” In any case, if you choose to do the election in Lagos State, people must have interest and if you choose to do it in Edo State, people must have interest”, adding:”Those who will want to leave the party because they didn’t get the ticket of the party are those who were not committed to the party from day one.”
He said leaders of the PDP would do their best to prevent the APC moles from having their ways so to avoid the experience of the party in the hands of its former national chairman, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff.
“Take for example, you remember when we came out with the idea of Modu Sheriff, some people criticised it and we said we did what we did believing that it was in the interest of the party. And when we saw that our judgement was wrong,we never hesitated to come up to say look,we can’t allow this. If we allow this, the party would be destroyed. And we stood firm,even those who claimed to have said they never wanted Sheriff were those who went back work with the same Sheriff that they never wanted.But we stood firm to say ‘no,we can’t work with Sheriff and we fought. We thank God that Sheriff left.
He tasked members to see the interest of the party above their personal ones:”The point we are making is if you believe in this party,and you really believe that you really want a change of this government and that this government does not mean well for Nigerians and then you don’t get the ticket tomorrow, why would you say I’m leaving the party?The interest of the nation must subsume. And that’s the point we are making here,that anybody who believes in this party must be able to make sacrifice,”he said.
Asked whether he was referring to Gombe State governor, Ibrahim Dankwanbo,when he alleged that some members that remained did not contribute votes to the party in the 2015 presidential election, Wike said: “No,Dankwanbo is one governor and my colleague that I respect. He’s very intelligent and has been a committed member of this party. So I could not refer to him like that.”
He tackled the APC-led federal government over what he referred to as its claim of fighting corruption than any what PDP did in its 16-year rule.
“This government is talking about fighting corruption.This government said since 1999,PDP elevated corruption, what do they mean by this? Somebody was a speaker for eight years under PDP, somebody was a governor for eight years under PDP, somebody was a minister for eight years under PDP and these people today are in APC. The point I’m trying to make here is that Saraki left PDP to form APC, Tambuwal left PDP to form APC, the same with Kwankwaso,Atiku and so many of them and APC accepted them but the moment they said ‘we are going back to our party, you now turned around to say no,these are corrupt people’. The same corrupt people you said helped you to victory!”
He also dismissed insinuations that money would play significant roles in who picks the PDP presidential ticket at the convention.
“It’s not all about money.When we came back from meeting, when the national chairman said the convention would be in Port-Harcourt,before I came back,one of the presidential aspirants tried to take over the entire hotels in Port-Harcourt for the convention and I said this can’t be possible, that we can’t allow this to happen. I said if we allowed one presidential aspirant to take over the entire hotels in Port-Harcourt, then it means that other aspirants would have problem.
“And as a governor, and other governors are coming here, they are my guests,the delegates that will come here are my guests,then the same presidential aspirant that tried to take over the entire hotels in Port-Harcourt now went back to plant this in the media that the government of Rivers State has taken over the entire hotels,and said ‘look, we are no longer comfortable with the choice of Port-Harcourt as venue for PDP convention.
” I have to say this so that people will know.I have no alternative to PDP. I have said it severally and that was why I said Secondus would be the best for chairmanship and today,I have been vindicated. I knew that people were planted to be chairman of PDP and by now,PDP would have collapsed,”he said.
Governor Wike,while also talking on recent reorganisation of the Police Special Anti-Robbery Squad,SARS, said there was no restructuring in SARS as claimed by the federal government even as he alleged that the police would e used to rig elections in his state.
“The police would not only be used against me, they would work against us.
“Take for example, what happened in August 18th, this year during the bye-election in Port-Harcourt State Constituency 3,it was very shameful. We had a security council meeting where o told them for the very first time that why not prove to Nigerians that you are prepared to hold a credible election.
“I have said several times that of we want to have a credible election,if INEC and police agreed that there will be credible election, it will be. And my own Commissioner of Police told me that ifbhe cannot supervise ordinary eight wards, which is just 142 units, then how would he supervise 4472 units during the general election.
“The point I’m making is that of he cannot supervise eight wards,142 units,then how would he be able to 4472 units in the entire state? When you cannot supervise election in eight wards,you cannot hold election in eight wards,how can you hold election in 4472 units? This was a matter of interest and they showed it clearly.
“And when you are talking about eight wards,we are not talking about wards in very difficult terrain. But eight wards within Port-Harcourt Municipality.
“The police never wanted a free and fair election, they wanted to guide a particular party to win. And it was for the first time that the INEC would come out to say ‘look, we saw this happen. In fact,the REC of Akwa Ibom was there, the REC of Bayelsa was there and the REC of Rivers State,three RECs for election in eight wards.The point I’m trying to make is that if three RECs could supervise election and it was not possible, what would happen when it will be the entire state? Police came out and led people to cart away materials.
“Let us not deceive ourselves in this country, do you know that since the 18th of August, I have never seen my Commissioner of Police.I think it’s his conscience keeping him away from me,” he further said.
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