My hope the main opposition PDP will get it right this time around, by the glaring chances of winning the 2023 presidential election from all available calculations and variables.
Except otherwise, the repeat of same old story that led to the loss of previous elections is rearing its head again .
The lingering crises between Wike and Atiku aftermath of the selection of Vice presidential candidate, Governor Ifeanyi okowa is getting out of hand.
I laid the blame solely on Okowa for not doing anything much even in Delta State, South South region, after his emergence as not only the Vice presidential candidate, but a new leader of PDP in the area.
What we are only witnessing after his emergence was series of defection and crises in the region, with Delta State conundrum not good for PDP towards 2023 general election.
Okowa rather than going out of his way to form a truce committee to pacify Wike and his group has left the whole thing fallow for the presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who is doing much to unite the entire North and Nigeria for PDP.
For PDP to loose the huge votes from Rivers State over their inability to resolve the lingering Wike ,Atiku feud orchestrated by the selection of Okowa is a serious undoing on the part of Governor Okowa.
One get discouraged over what is happening in Okowa’s home state of Delta, were he had no regard for political leaders and founding fathers of PDP in the state , particularly James Ibori, among many others.
You find it difficult to believe that this was the same Okowa that started his political life as local government chairman to the top in the state, yet not perturbed by the unfortunate situations and political wranglings going in Delta State.
If care is not taking , Okowa will break devastating record of not only loosing at the central , but even his home state of Delta that had remained with PDP since 1999.
The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Nzenwo Wike has nothing to loose for ceding the state vote to any other party ,than PDP, but the cost of loosing Rivers State 3M votes at this point in time is dangerous.
No doubt, Governor Wike has alot of followers and had invested the state resources on developments projects in the state, that had earned him accolades both within and outside the state.
He is right to protest the circumstances from the primary election to the emergence of Vice presidential candidate of PDP, and as a strong party member and financier cannot let it go.
For PDP winning election in Delta and Nigeria at large, Governor Okowa should not leave the party and Abubakar Atiku alone, but should also go cap in hand to beg and pacify with promises party leaders from the state, and South South of Nigeria without further delay.
Becoming Nigerian Vice Presidential candidate is not a new thing to the area, the likes of James Onanefe Ibori, the former Delta State Governor and strong political leader in that axis and Nigeria had a better chance of becoming Nigeria’s President and Vice president including the former Rivers State Governor, Sir Peter Odili, Obong Victor Attah of Akwa Ibom state, and Donald Duke who all stood a better chance of occupying the prestigious positions.
Avoiding Wike and his team will mean loosing cheaply an election Nigerians had made up their minds to vote PDP at all levels considering all variables in the country.
Governor Nyesom Nzenwo Wike has attained a national figure, with supporters across the country,any undoings on the part of PDP and Okowa will mean the continuation of bad old days in Nigeria.
Nigerians will not forgive PDP and Okowa for allowing the unresolved internal wranglings denied the party of the obvious victory 2023 general election.
All hands must be on deck to quickly use all political solutions to pacify the aggrieved groups, as votes from Delta, other states of Nigeria apart from Lagos and Kano cannot equate that of Rivers State.
Nyesom Nzenwo Wike had fought a good fight in the last seven years, by helping PDP to sustain the party with projects, actions and statements that had put the ruling party in a tight corner, we must not jeopardize his laudable contributions.
Alhaji Mohammed Shakur writes from Abuja.
