The ambition of former Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, to become the next governor of Rivers State has suffered a major setback following the rejection of his candidacy by a coalition of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirants for the Rivers State House of Assembly and the House of Representatives.
The aspiring lawmakers made their position known in a statement signed on Saturday by four members of the coalition including Mr Eyaalada Akari, Mr Nature Kieghe, Engr. Francis Ibarakunye, and Mr Iheanyichukwu Paul, stressing that they do not recognise any gubernatorial candidate in the state due to flaws in the last primary elections.
According to the statement, “Several members of the coalition received invitations via SMS to a meeting scheduled for 11 am on Tuesday 06/01/2015 with an aspirant purporting to be the ‘governorship candidate’ of the party and state chairman of the PDP.
“In the said SMS,” it added, “Chief (Barr.) Nyesom Wike is paraded as the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in Rivers State.
“Having met at an emergency session, we wish to reiterate the fact that to the best of our knowledge, the PDP in Rivers State does not yet have a gubernatorial candidate or any candidate for any other elective offices except the presidency following gross fundamental flaws with all other primaries,” it further stated.
Consequently, the coalition dissociated itself from the said meeting urging the national leadership of the party to timely resolve complaints regarding the PDP primaries in the state. It feared that these complaints would have grave consequences at the polls, adding that the state would be unwittingly handed over to the APC and “make Mr. President worry about Rivers State in his tough re-election battle because his brothers and sisters in the state sold their rights for a pot of porridge which may not really taste as it looks.”
