By Ademola Tijani
Former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has secured another victory as the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has endorsed the contentious Rivers State congresses, from the ward level up to the state level.
This decision was made during an NWC meeting held on Thursday, September 12, at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja, amid ongoing tensions between Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, and Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Led by acting National Chairman Umar Damagum, the NWC approved the Rivers State congresses and postponed the much-anticipated National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting from September 26 to October 24.
The political rift between Wike and Governor Fubara intensified on August 24 when PDP governors publicly threw their support behind Fubara, calling for a review of the Rivers State congresses and affirming Fubara as the leader of the PDP in the state. Wike, enraged by this, issued a warning on August 31, threatening to cause unrest in the governors’ states if they continued to meddle in Rivers State’s affairs.
In response, the PDP Governors’ Forum condemned Wike’s remarks, calling them “irresponsible.”
A senior member of the NWC, speaking anonymously, confirmed that the committee approved the Rivers congresses along with those of other states, adding that the NEC meeting had been rescheduled to October 24.
“They have achieved their aim. Wike has again defeated the PDP governors as the NWC approved the Rivers and other states’ congresses. There was nothing a few NWC members who were against it could do other than allow them to have their way. As it stands, only the NEC can overturn it to suit the Governors’ demands,” the source said.
“The Rivers State congresses and those of other states were approved by the NWC. A few states where issues were identified were stepped down. For example, in Kogi, the Chairman and Deputy were not approved due to anomalies. Only the NEC can overturn the NWC’s decision on Rivers and other states. However, the NEC meeting, originally slated for September 26, has been postponed to October 24, which may not hold on that date. As it stands, Wike has defeated the Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed-led PDP Governors Forum.”
