Chief Nyesom Wike
Those aspiring to be the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, flag bearer in next year’s governorship election in Rivers State have cried out over the hijacking of the party’s membership register and cards by the immediate past Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike. They are alleging that the aim is to enable him rig the forthcoming primaries.
The Gubernatorial aspirants also accused the state PDP chairman, Felix Obuah of working with the former Minister to hoard party cards and membership register ahead of the primaries. They alleged that Obuah had so compromised his position as state chairman that no credible congress could be guaranteed under his leadership.
One of the aspirants who spoke with Pointblanknews.com alleged that “Wike has converted Elder Obuah from a state PDP chairman into an errand boy said; “What happened is that when the Amaechi-backed exco left with the party register, Obuah provided another register of party members. Now, by Article 8 of our party constitution, these registers are meant to be kept at ward secretariats for public view.
“Sadly, Wike directed Elder Obuah to hand him the registers of all the wards in the state. As we speak, Nyesom Wike has converted them to his personal property. This also applies to the new membership cards the national secretariat gave Rivers PDP,” the aspirant said.
Another aspirant alleged that the former minister and party chairman had been selectively issuing party membership cards to perceived supporters of his GDI group, a move the governorship hopeful described as the height of anti-party activities.
The aspirant said: “As things stand, PDP is the party in opposition in Rivers State. As an opposition party, we ought to throw our doors open to as many persons as possible. What Wike and Obuah have done is to deny people access to PDP membership, saying, ‘No! You can’t join PDP, go and join APC!”
One more aspirant accused Wike of grossly abusing his office as Minister of State for Education by using same to award fat education contracts to Obuah and members of his executive as a ploy for them to become his “oti mkpu”(cheerleaders). He urged the national leadership of PDP to order the Obuah-led executive to recover the membership registers which it surreptitiously handed Wike.
The aspirants went on to claim that Wike, who last week resigned as minister to contest the governorship seat, was seeking to exploit the clause in the party guidelines stopping fresh membership registration a month before the primary election.
One of the aspirants noted that “there is a clause in the guidelines for primaries ordering the closure of the membership register a month to the primary. What Wike seeks to do, in concert with Obuah, is to ambush the other aspirants with their own doctored register”. He however promised that the other aspirants will give it a fight.
Going by Article 8 (1) of the PDP Constitution, “membership of the Party shall be open to all Nigerians who are not below the age of 18 years, and who undertake to abide by the constitution of the party.
The second part of the section states that “a register of members shall be kept at the Ward level of the party and the register shall not be removed from the ward secretariat.”
DailyPost recalls that Obuah has, in contravention of PDP’s zoning principle, maintained that his state chapter will throw open the governorship ticket to all aspirants. This has pitched him against prominent party leaders from the state who believe only the aspirants from the riverine areas and Ogoni should be given the party’s ticket.
Comments