Wike Wanted Secondus To Manipulate 2019 PDP Primaries Against Atiku— Namadi Sambo’s Aide

Umar Sani, a former media aide to ex-Vice President Namadi Sambo, has revealed the reason why the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, is fighting the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Uche Secondus.

Sani, who spoke on Tuesday morning during a monitored interview on Arise Television’s The Morning Show, said Wike wanted Secondus to use his position to manipulate the 2019 presidential primary against the eventual winner Atiku Abubakar.

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The bad blood between Wike and Secondus came into the open during the 60th birthday celebration of ex-Cross River State governor, Liyel Imoke, when the former blamed the latter for the problems confronting the PDP across the states in the country.

He also accused the party’s National Working Committee of incompetence.

But Sani accused the Wike of plotting to “deal with Secondus,” for his alleged failure to manipulate the PDP primaries that produced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the flagbearer of the PDP in the 2019 presidential election.

He said, “At that convention, Governor Wike was supporting Governor (Aminu) Tambuwal and so because Governor Tambuwal came second and did not win the primaries, he felt that there should have been manipulations to ensure that Governor Tambuwal becomes the candidate. Because that didn’t happen, it means that it was Secondus who was responsible and so he needs to deal with him. That is what he is out to achieve now.

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“I am saying two things. I am saying he is a strong pillar of the PDP and am saying he is the one causing the problem at the moment. Not the problem of the PDP but the problem at the moment. If he stops doing it, then there will be no problem. PDP will have no problem. He is the one engineering and causing the problem, trying to ensure that he divides the house even before the convention because his ambition is clashing with the interest of the party.”

Sani said the party would have won about 20 states including Kano, but failed due to the alleged manipulations of the ruling All Progressive Congress.

“If you take the totality of the election Secondus has supervised, the PDP would have been having about 20 states by now. Because one, we lost Kano due to the abracadabra of the APC. We lost Osun due to the abracadabra of the APC, because we won them. We won Imo, but the number four now became the number one and of course Ekiti State was taken away from us,” Sani claimed in defence of Secondus and the NWC.

Sani however, said the PDP had regained its popularity across the country.

He explained that Secondus should not be faulted for the defection of some PDP governors to the ruling APC.

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” I don’t know what Governor Wike meant that there has to be a change. A change from the winning ways of the party or a change because some governors left the party? Is it Prince Secondus’ fault that the governor of Cross Rivers State left the party or is it Secondus’ fault that the governor of Ebonyi State left the party? Is it truly Secondus’ fault that the governor of Zamfara left the party?

” If you take an x-ray of all their reasons, the governor of Cross River blamed Wike, the governor of Ebonyi blamed Wike, even the governor of Zamfara fell short of calling his name, because he said the governors have abandoned him and that when Utom had problem, Governor Wike gave him N200m.

“When Governor Tambuwal had an issue that a market in Sokoto got burnt, he gave him N500m, but when it giot to Zamfara State where people were being killed, nobody supported him.”

He said judging by the claims of defectors, Wike’s actions are responsible for most of the problems in the PDP.

“His actions are negatively affecting our party. He is now trying to … blame the National Working Committee and say they are the ones that are incompetent. If you make unguided utterances and you exercise certain actions that are contrary to the progress and unity of the party, how do you expect the party to remain united?” Sani asked.

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