A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party and former governor of Plateau State, Fidelis Tapgun, has expressed confidence that the PDP will win the forthcoming presidential poll.
Tapgun knocked the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, and other PDP stalwarts, who had refused to work for the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
He said despite Wike’s opposition and attempts to frustrate Atiku’s ambition, the Rivers State governor would be shocked by the number of votes Atiku would garner even in Rivers State.
Tapgun, a member of the PDP Board of Trustees, stated this in Jos on Monday, while fielding questions from journalists against the background of the crisis between Atiku and the G-5 governors, led by Wike.
The PDP had on Monday announced the cancellation of its presidential rally in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, saying Atiku’s supporters were being constantly attacked in the state.
Tapgun, who blamed Wike for the lingering crisis in the PDP, insisted that the G-5 governors were not a threat to Atiku’s presidential ambition.
He said, “The G-5 governors have exhausted all their bullets aimed at destroying the PDP and it’s presidential candidate but they forgot that the PDP is in the heart of the people and not something you can read on the face.
So, Wike and his group will be shocked at the presidential poll results and I can assure you that the PDP candidate will coast home to victory despite the ongoing sabotage by a few.”
Tapgun commended the National Chairman of the PDP, Iyorchia Ayu, for the matured way he had handled the crisis in the party.
He said, “When the crisis started, some of us called for the expulsion of Wike and all those working with him to destroy the PDP but the party leadership, in its wisdom, decided to follow them gently in the hope that they would have a change of mind and everything would be resolved. But I think the founding fathers of the PDP will be proud of Ayu as the national chairman given the matured way he has handled the party’s crisis.”
The PUNCH reports that apart from Wike, other members of the agrieved G-5 governors are Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwanyi (Enugu), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Seyi Makinde (Oyo), former governors, ministers, among others.
