Ahead of the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, a former Minister of Mines and Steal and chieftain of the party, Wole Oyelese, has accused the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, of backing Uche Secondus for selfish reasons.
Secundus, a PDP chieftain from the South South, is one of the aspirants for the coming election for the PDP National Chairmanship position.
Oyelese said Wike, and some PDP governors were fighting for Secondus’ emergence for their selfish reasons.
The ex-Minister warned the party leaders and delegates against falling into the trap of Wike and other governors by ‘imposing’ Secondus as the PDP chairman, adding that doing so would lead the party into a “disastrous crisis.”
Oyelese said this in a statement on Wednesday where he noted that “Secondus leading the party is certainly a disaster waiting to happen.”
He added, “I will not expect anybody that loves the PDP to support Secondus because of his past record but there is a difference between loving the party and being selfish.
“Wike wants to build a political empire using the PDP as a platform, hence his support for Secondus. Some governors, who are also afraid of their shadows, believe that they cannot manipulate Chief Bode George and believe Secondus could easily be manipulated.
“Wike and the other governors are unnecessarily anxious. They are not thinking about the future of the party. They should know that there is no room for experiment.”
The former Minister further appealed to the leadership of the party in the South-South to see Nigeria as a country that must be united and not divided along any ethnic line.
Oyelese also challenged Secondus to come out with details of his achievements.
According to him, in 2014, Secondus imposed an unpopular candidate in the governorship election in Oyo State, leading to the PDP’s failure at the poll.
He added, “Is that the kind of man that will lead a great party like the PDP or any other party for that matter? Anybody that could be so compromised should not be the chairman of PDP.”
