The camp loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has reportedly shifted its support to former Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, for the People Democratic Party (PDP) national chairmanship seat.
Wike, in his latest media chat, strongly criticised the governors’ consensus arrangement, warning that it could spell doom for the opposition party.
He said, “The way these present governors are doing, they will bury this party. Are you telling me that because I’m not a governor, you’ll hold a PDP stakeholders’ meeting and exclude me, and then expect the party to survive?”
He also dismissed speculations that his close ties with the APC were affecting his loyalty to the PDP.
“All these talks about APC are rubbish. You mean two or three people, because they are governors and receive large allocations, will decide for all of us? Follow who?” he asked.
Sources close to Wike’s camp told Daily Trust that the group has settled for zoning the chairmanship to the North Central, with Ortom tipped as its preferred candidate.
The group argued that since former PDP chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, who is also from Benue State, did not complete his tenure, equity demands that the North Central be allowed to retain the slot.
To back their position, the Wike camp reportedly drew comparisons with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which replaced its former chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, from the North Central with another candidate from the same zone, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, despite former Kano State governor, Abdullahi Umar, briefly holding sway in between.
