The Acting Chairman of the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Robinson Nname-Ewor, has boasted that the party has successfully seized control of state structures which were hitherto under the control of former Governor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Nname-Ewor who made the claims during an interview on Arise TV on Monday night, said Wike’s long years of influence and control over the PDP in the state are now a thing of the past as the party has now taken total control.
Describing the former governor’s imposing influence on the party structures and control as “years of political hostage-taking,” Nname-Ewor said the party has been able to put an end to those years.
“Before now, Wike held the party hostage at the state level. The national said don’t conduct congresses; he went ahead to conduct them. But today, we have gone beyond that,” Nname-Ewor said.
“The party today at the state level is no longer in his hands. Therefore, there is nothing they can do as far as the party is concerned in Rivers.”
Nname-Ewor who also spoke on the political crisis between suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Wike, said the situation was escalated when Fubara decided to be a man of his own by resisting the continued political control by the former governor.
“Wike believes loyalty should be absolute. But the resources he used to support candidates, including Fubara and state lawmakers, were not his — they were Rivers State resources. So the first loyalty should be to the people.
“Once Rivers people realised Fubara was no longer Wike’s puppet, they owned him. And that’s what changed everything.
“The crisis you see in Rivers and in the PDP is not because the party is broken. It is because one man, the FCT Minister, is determined to destroy it. Remove him, and you won’t see a single crisis — neither in Rivers nor nationally,” he stated.
The PDP chieftain also accused Wike of working against the party from within while aligning with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), alleging that Wike’s influence has become more destructive than beneficial.
“To us in Rivers, Wike is no longer a member of the PDP. He is only here to destroy the PDP and the opposition. And unfortunately, he is being aided by the presidency.
“Wike today exists in the PDP because he’s on a mission to destroy the opposition in the country, not just in Rivers State.
“And the president is helping him. The president is funding Wike to destroy the opposition. That is the irony of it.
“How do you advise a party you’re no longer part of? How do you advise people you’re busy attacking? Wike has openly pledged to support the APC in 2027. His role now is not one of leadership but sabotage.
“This is a new beginning for the PDP in Rivers. We are taking back our party, and we will protect it,” Nname-Ewor insisted.
© Ripples Nigeria
