Fresh facts have emerged on how the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Nyesom Wike was able to mobilise members of the National Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party to get Port Harcourt endorsed for the party ’s national convention on Friday.
Investigations by our correspondent showed that two presidential aspirants in the party were behind the plot to take the convention out of Rivers State.
The aspirants were said to have suggested Enugu for the event.
Unfortunately for them, the state was said to have declined the suggestion.
The two aspirants (names withheld) are said to be from North-West and North -East, respectively.
It was gathered that one of the aspirants was initially very close to Wike and had thought that he would be his ally in his bid to pick the party’s presidential ticket.
However, it was gathered that Wike had refused to give his commitment to the aspiration of his friend.
A source close to the party said that sensing that Wike was becoming too close to one of the aspirants from the North-West, the two aspirants ganged up and stared reaching out to their friends in the Board of Trustees to call for the change of venue for the convention.
The source said, “There are two presidential aspirants who were not comfortable with the use of Port Harcourt for the convention.
“Both of them are even supposed to be members of the BoT. One of them is very desperate and have even been going about as if he has emerged as the PDP presidential candidate.
“He has taken almost half of the hotel in Port Harcourt, until the state found out and stopped the plan by him to book all the hotels.
“The plan was to make all the delegates rely on him for accommodation and thereby force to do their bidding.
“But Wike moved in swiftly and stop the plan. That’s how they became enemies.
“The other one felt that he had been loyal to the party and therefore, Wike being another loyal member of the party, must work with him to get the ticket.”
Our correspondent gathered that when the two aspirants knew that they might not get the suport of the governor, they resorted to the BoT members.
The Chairman of the BoT, Senator Walid Jibrin, had openly disagreed with the members of the National Working Committee on the use of Port Harcourt for the convention.
Jibrin, during the inauguration of the party’s National Convention Committee, openly told the Deputy National Chairman of the party, Mr. Taiwo Akinwomi that the party had yet to conclude on the issue of venue for the convention.
Sensing that the plan could be truncated, it was learnt that Wike had to mobilise his friends who are members of NEC to attend the meeting.
“That was why we had so many bigwigs in attendance despite the short notice for the meeting,” the source said.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, has said the conflict over the venue for PDP’s forthcoming national convention was resolved amicably and that there was no victor and no vanquished.
In a statement from his office on Saturday, the governor said it was mischievous of anyone to say Wike won the argument.
“Nobody won. Neither Wike nor PDP was in contest. It is, therefore, uncharitable to say that Wike won”, he added.
