Ovation magazine publisher and chieftain of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Dele Momodu, has accused the Minister of the FCT,
Nyesom Wike, of frustrating Peter Obi out of the PDP.
During the build-up to the 2023 general election, Obi dumped
the PDP for the Labour Party (LP), where he emerged as the party’s presidential
candidate.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on
Wednesday, Momodu said Wike was the reason Obi left the PDP.
He explained that ahead of the 2023 election, Atiku wanted
the PDP to cede power to the Southeast rather than rotating it within a few
regions.
The publisher implied that Wike could have benefited from
Atiku’s suggestion if he had not dissociated himself from the Southeast region.
According to Momodu, Wike disqualified himself by saying he
was not an Igbo man. He added that the former Governor of Rivers State declared
that he was not interested in any Igbo agenda.
Since the PDP was considering zoning its presidential ticket
to the Southeast, Momodu alleged that Wike subsequently frustrated Obi out of
the party to emerge as the party’s presidential candidate.
Momodu said, “It was the same Wike people complaining about
north-south that brought the committee through our party primary open. That’s
why I was able to buy a form. I bought a form because, at that time, Atiku had
told them that if they ceded power to the southeast, then it would make sense
to him, but if it would still be a rotation between just a few zones, he would
not support it. He wanted them to cede power to the southeast. But because Wike
had already disqualified himself by saying he’s not an Igbo man, he said he’s
from south-south, he’s not interested in Igbo anything, so he succeeded in
frustrating Peter Obi out of the party. So, the coast was clear for Nyesom
Wike.”
The PDP chieftain further explained that the opposition
party did not have a zoning problem until Wike and his allies within the party
started using it to push a north-south agenda for the party’s presidential
ticket.
