Ahead of the 2023 general elections, Princewill Dike, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers State, has warned the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, that he would be playing with fire if he decides to ignore the demands of the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, and his camp.
Dike also warned Atiku that those people hanging around him and mounting pressure on the former vice-president to call the bluff of Wike, who he described as a ‘mobiliser’, are leading him to the abyss.
Recall that the PDP has been embroiled in a political crisis since after its primaries, with Wike and Atiku at the centre of it.
In a statement on Wednesday, Dike believed that Wike remained the backbone of the PDP, adding that Atiku and the party should do the right thing by restructuring the PDP to give the South a sense of belonging ahead of next year’s election.
Dike’s statement read in part: “The Presidential Candidate of the PDP will be playing with fire if he chooses to ignore the demands of the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, and his camp. Those people hanging around him and mounting pressure on him to call the bluff of Governor Wike are leading him to the abyss.
“Governor Nyesom Wike is a mobiliser, a performer and a strategist who has the support of most of his colleagues and leaders of the party. He exerts nationwide influence and has the capacity to sway votes not only in Rivers but also in the entire South South. How can you think of ignoring your best commander in a time of war?
“Let reason prevail and let Atiku and the party do the right thing by restructuring the PDP to give the South a sense of belonging and ensure unity ahead of the poll. The time to act is now because the delay we have witnessed has already become dangerous”.