PDP May Punish Wike, Ortom, Other G-5 Governors Over Anti-Party Activities

The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has moved to sanction the party in Rivers, Cross River and Benue States over what the party described as anti-party activities, THE WHISTLER has learnt.

Other states in line to suffer same fate  include Oyo, Enugu and Abia States.

These states have been opposed to the party leadership since the conclusion of its primaries in May/June.

The governors of the states formed the G-5 group that has demanded the resignation of the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, on the basis of equity and inclusiveness.

The group has accused Ayu of corruption running into billions while also noting that he compromised the presidential primary of the party.

Consequently, the group led by Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, pulled out of the presidential campaign council of the partyafter  insisting Ayu must resign before they can give their support.

Ayu had promised to resign to allow his successor to come from the South if the presidential candidate of the party came from the North.

His refusal to toe that line, which has pitted him against the G-5 members, has also isolated candidates of the party in their states.

As a show of solidarity with their governors,  the governorship and National Assembly candidates of the PDP  have removed the pictures of the party’s presidential candidate from their campaign posters while also not taking part in the presidential campaign.

It was gathered that Atiku has also been excluded from their campaign programmes,  causing further  confusion in the party. 

There are fears that these could have far reaching implications for the presidential candidate, who will be unable to campaign in the states that had always voted for the PDP.

Sources confided in THE WHISTLER that the party leadership is ready to enter into an alliance with the Labour Party to ensure certain candidates from the party whose allegiance are for the governors lose their elections.

The party leadership may also not  fund the governorship campaigns of the party in the listed states.

A source claimed that funds had been released to some other states, but money for the affected states were still being withheld.

The source said governorship candidates in Cross River State, Sandy Onor, Titus Uba of Benue State, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Siminialayi Fubara of Rivers State are all walking on ice and have not received any financial or moral support from the party.

Only Makinde is seeking reelection among the G-5 governors. Cross River, which has been co-opted into the anti-Ayu group has a governor on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The governor of the state, Ben Ayade, defected to the APC after winning his second term.

The governorship candidates in Enugu and Abia are not in troubled waters yet as sources said the party leadership is still gauging their level of commitment to the party’s affairs at the centre.

“I can say Abia and Enugu are not so bad yet,” a source told our Correspondent at the PDP National Headquarters in Abuja.

“That cannot be said of the other four states of Rivers, Benue, Cross River and Oyo,” the source explained, pointing out that the party will rather ensure the candidates of the Labour Party win in those states with the hope that they will defect if the PDP wins next year’s presidential election.

He added that the issue is still being discussed and soon, the party will take a decision.

This paper gathered that the PDP decided to make a statement when it stayed away from the book launch of its Cross River State Governorship Candidate on Wednesday in Abuja. 

There were conflicting reports that the party leadership was not invited as the Chief Book Launcher was Wike.

Attempts to speak with Onor was unsuccessful as he didn’t pick his calls and there was no response to a text message sent to his telephone line.

There are fears that the schism may affect Atiku’s chances of victory in 2023, especially if the party structure in the states headed by his antagonists are not available for a robust campaign.

The spokesman of the PDP, Dabo Ologunagba, did not pick calls put to his line on the development.