...Says Wike taking advantage of deviation from PDP visions
A chieftain of the People's Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Chris Ekpenyong says he was yet to see how Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja and immediate past governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike would fight the party.
Ekpenyong who had represented Akwa Ibom Northwest (Ikot Ekpene) Senatorial district in the 9th Senate was reacting to Wike's threat to cause crisis in the PDP controlled states if the governors did not stop meddling into the affairs of Rivets State.
He regretted that Nyesom Wike who is not a founding member of the PDP was now taking advantage that the party has deviated from the visions and missions of its founding members to threaten to fight its stem.
His words, " You are asking me about a very young man who, peradventure came to be initiated into the political party and grew from the ranks of chairman of a local government through the instrumentality of his boss, former governor of Rivers State, Dr Peter Odili, and become whatever he became today.
"He is now saying that he is going to fight the stem. You know everything has a stem. I will not join issues with him, but I think he is taking advantage that our political party the PDP, has deviated from what is supposed to be the visions and missions of the founding members, else we will not see anyone who became a governor on the platform of PDP now become taller than the party.
" It would not have been. However, I am yet to see how he will fight. PDP has gone into a cocoon, and it's yet to be revived. Maybe he thinks he has the oxygen to fight it but i think he does not have it
Senator Ekpenyong expressed concern the PDP has collapsed because it has been swallowed by the state governors.
He explained that the party, which was founded on social justice, equity and fairness has suddenly become a party of imposition as leadership no longer comes from the people.
"What I am saying is PDP is a national party where in every nooks and crannies of Nigeria you find it there. It is a party that was predicated on social justice, equity and fairness. And that means you cannot just hand pick, you must go through a process, and you must be the people's desire.
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"It is not supposed to be a party of imposition, a party where you are a governor and you become a tin-god. But today the PDP has been swallowed by the governors and the leadership no longer come from the people. That's the reason why the PDP has collapsed.
"And any other political party that follows that same path will also collapse, until you allow political Evolution to come from the people. If that has happened why will Wike come and say I own PDP, and I will fight anybody who interferes in Rivers?. Did he want the governor of Rivers State to be his houseboy? Even a Houseboy has liberty" Ekpenyong asserted.
