Your greed drove Rep Onuigbo out of PDP, Wike fires at national organising sec, Akobundu
* Focus on Rivers, stop advertising ignorance, Ikwuano PDP caucus replies Wike
By Steve Oko
The leadership crisis rocking the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, took a new twist yesterday as Gov. Nyesom Wike of River State lambasted the National Organising Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Col. Austin Akobundu (retd), accusing him of destroying the party in Abia because of his selfish interest.
Wike who took the former Defense Minister to the cleaners when he featured on AIT programme, accused Akobundu of driving the member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia federal constituency at the House of Representatives, Chief Sam Onuigbo out of PDP.
According to the Rivers State Governor, Rep Onuigbo who won both his first and second term on the platform of PDP defected to the All Progressive Congress, APC, because the National Organising Secretary prevented him from producing his ward executive of PDP.
Both Akobundu and Onuigbo are from Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State but from different political wards.
Wike who expressed bitterness over the selfish tendencies and greed of some members of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party accused Akobundu of chasing Onuigbo out of PDP because of his (Akobundu’s) alleged governoship ambition.
” All you want is you, you, you. How will you deny a National Assembly member his ward executive because you are running for governoship and you feel he may not likely support you?
” I mean a NASS member was denied of his ward, ward, I say ward executive not even local government executive. And that guy has now left the party.
” Because you want to run for governoship and you believe he may not likely support you? For Christ’s sake, what is ward executive? How can ward executive deny you of your governoship ambition?
” Now you have made us lose that member because of your selfish interest.”
Apparently referring to the scenario in Abia North, Wike continued with his posers:
” How can I as a governor, have a senator and I will deny him the executive in his ward probably because I feel that that senator wants to run for governoship?
“What is wrong if a senator wants to run for governoship? Does having his ward executive confer governoship on him?”
Gov. Wike insisted that PDP leaders must eschew themselves of selfishness and place the interest of the party above personal interest if the party wanted to renounce in 2023.
But in a swift reaction, Ikwuano PDP caucus chided Wike and asked him to stop advertising his ignorance of the subject matter.
The caucus which addressed a press conference Tuesday in Umuahia
warned Wike to restrict himself to Rivers State and stop interfering in Abia politics.
Chairman of the caucus, Rear Admiral Ralph Osondu (retd), who read from a prepared speech, said that Onuigbo was not driven out of PDP by Akobundu but left the party on his own volition probably on wrong advice.
According to the caucus the lawmaker did not quit PDP after the said ward congress but defected to APC because of his personal ambition.
The caucus explained that Onuigbo had wanted to produce both the Chairman and the entire counselors during the Council election without recourse to other party stakeholders.
The caucus further said that the party still gave him seven out of the 17 counselorship slots in addition to the Deputy chairmanship slot but he still left despite overtures by the party to remain in PDP.
The caucus which denied any knowledge of Akobundu’s governoship ambition, advised Wike to ” restrict himself to the political affairs of Rivers State and stop dabbling into issues he is not properly informed of in other states”.
” Abia has a sitting Governor who is the leader of the party in the state, Nyesom Wike should stop interfering in the political affairs of Ikwuano LGA in particular and Abia State in general”.
Some of the caucus members at the press conference include: the LGA Chairman, Chief Stephen Mpamugo; former Commissioner for Housing, Theophilus Ugboaja; Chief Anthony Osuwa; Ngozi Orji; Elder Henry Nwoha, among others.
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