Wike says he has withdrawn his support for Gov Aminu Tambuwal because of zoning controversies in PDP
By Emma Ogbuehi
Rivers State governor, Nyeson Wike, has explained why he stopped supporting his former ally and Sokoto state governor, Aminu Tambuwal’s 2023 presidential ambition, saying that it is because of the unsettled politics of zoning in their Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Wike who is also interested in the ticket, declared his presidential ambition for the 2023 election, in Benue state. His friends and associates have gone ahead to purchase the party’s expression of interest form for him.
In 2019, Wike openly supported Tambuwal, the Sokoto State governor, who is considered his very close friend.
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According to the Rivers state governor, their party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), earlier agreed to zone its 2023 presidential ticket to the South. There are however indications that the party may throw the ticket open for interested aspirants, an exercise, many fear, would work against chieftains from the south eyeing the slot.
But speaking on a Channels Television programme, in Abuja, on Tuesday, Wike said, “Tambuwal is still my very good friend. In 2019, I supported him because we zoned the presidency to the North. In 2017, all of us agreed that this should be zoned to the North and that was why nobody from the South collected forms for that election and I have no regret about that. What I do not like is for people to deny that there is no zoning or there should be no zoning. That is what I do not like.
“The provision of our constitution is clear under Section 7, Sub-section 3C. It says, there should be rotation of party offices and elective offices. The founding fathers of the party know the complexity, they know the diversity of this country and they made sure that for equity, fairness and justice, this should be done.”
Wike said his decision to contest was, however, not based on the fact that the PDP wants to zone the ticket to the South but because he has what it takes to govern the country.
“In our party, we have always done zoning, so you cannot stop zoning,” he said.
The Rivers Gov has always claimed that he has all that it takes to lift the country from its present piteous situation, if voted to office.
