Against the backdrop of the recent war of words between the camps of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and those of Nyesom Wike and Samuel Ortom, former governors of Rivers and Benue States, some leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, on Friday, have called on the party to caution the former governors.
Ortom had recently described Atiku as a frustrated man who was yet to come to terms with his rejection by five former aggrieved governors under the aegis of the Integrity Group.
Ortom’s jibe was a reaction to a statement credited to Atiku’s Special Assistant on Public Communication, Mr Phrank Shaibu, who accused the ex-governor of gross incompetence while in office.
On his part, Wike has openly shown solidarity with the All Progressives Congress-led government with speculations making the rounds that he has been enlisted as a ministerial designate to serve in the yet-to-be-constituted cabinet of President Bola Tinubu.
In an exclusive interview with Saturday PUNCH, a member of the PDP National Executive Committee and immediate past National Secretary of the party, Senator Ibrahim Tsauri, said no party member is bigger than the PDP, adding that the party will soon do the needful.
He said, “The only reason the PDP has not wielded the axe on them is because they are still seen as members of the party. But no one is bigger than the party.
“Their issues are with individuals, not the party. When appointments in the APC government are exhausted without them getting any, then you will know what I mean. They will feel the heat.”
Tsauri described Ortom and Wike as job seekers who he said are desperate to prove to the APC that they deserved to be patronised.
He added, “How do you expect someone who is looking for political relevance to shy away from attacking those who are highly placed? I think the four members of the G-5 are now looking for jobs so that they may get some protection no matter how small.
“And so, the best way to show the APC government that they can work with it is to attack the PDP and Atiku. They are doing this to attract the attention of the President and his kitchen cabinet.”
Similarly, another NEC member and the Deputy National Youth Leader of the PDP, Timothy Osador, disclosed that the activities of the two ex-governors would be tabled for discussion at the next meeting of the party’s National Working Committee.
He said, “The party is taking note and in the next meeting of the NWC, their issue will come up. It is wrong to assume that they can’t be dealt with. They are not above the PDP.”
Commenting on the recent remark by Ortom, Osadolor described the former governor as frustrated given his failure to make it to the Senate.
“Ortom could not win a simple senatorial election. His frustration is understood. Of all the PDP ex-governors, he is the only one that has visited the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission more than once. He would tell the world whether he was invited to take pictures to serve as the new poster boy of the anti-graft war.
“He is a total failure who could not construct a road to his house and farm. For eight years, there’s nothing to show that there was a governor in Benue State,” he added.
Also speaking, the spokesman of the 2023 Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council, Charles Aniagwu the conduct of the ex-governors will not be glossed over.
He said, “The party will very soon be in a position to question them as to why they are behaving this way. But before the PDP does that, we hope they will retrace their steps because it is wrong to bite the finger that fed you.
The party got them to the level of champions. If what they are doing is to kill the party, we know that is not going to happen.”
