Okowa, the vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, did not betray anyone in the party’s presidential primary, according to Mr. Olisa Ifeajika, the governor’s chief press secretary. Okowa is the governor of Delta State.
This was said by Ifeajika on Monday in Asaba during a press conference.
In all matters pertaining to the presidential convention, he claimed that Okowa obeyed PDP directives and decisions as a devoted party member.
In Asaba, the Southern Governors’ Forum made a decision to work toward the establishment of a southern presidency, which was later reaffirmed in meetings in Lagos and Enugu.
He claims that because each political party had a unique strategy for how to approach the process of choosing a presidential candidate, decisions made by forum participants when they returned to their respective parties varied.
“For us in PDP, the party told the governors that it may not go with their position because we are in the opposition and in order to get it right, the party set up a committee headed by Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, to advise it appropriately on zoning of the ticket.
“The Ortom committee, in its wisdom, recommended that zoning be jettisoned to allow all aspirants to participate in the primary to enable the best to emerge.
“The committee presented its report to the party’s National Executive Committee were it was agreed to open the presidential ticket to enable for the best hands to emerge as recommended.
“As far as we are aware, no member, including the governors or group, protested the party’s decision. They all acquiesced and accepted the party’s decision on zoning.
“There was no treachery anywhere because no agreement was reached. The party’s position prevailed and delegates at the presidential primary voted as they wished,” he said.
Ifeajika claimed that even after the primaries, some people were still discussing betrayal and speculating about the whereabouts of the G-5 governors at the time the Ortom Committee’s report was made public.
“Why didn’t they raise their voices against the party’s decision not to zone the ticket to any part and rise against it?
“They agreed to it, participated, only to start an agitation without foundation after a candidate had emerged.
“I see the G-5 governors agitation as a distraction and I appeal to them to sheath their sword and beat a retreat as quickly as possible to join the party’s rescue mission.
“They remain very senior members of PDP and they remain an important factor because the next election is a low hanging fruit for the PDP to pick if we close ranks. We believe that Nigerians would vote for the party,” he added.
Okowa’s spokesperson responded to the G-5 governors’ demand that Ayu be fired by saying that it was a constitutional issue that needed to be resolved at the appropriate time.
“In Rivers State where Wike holds sway as governor, the governorship candidate is from Rivers South and the chairman of the party in the state is also from Rivers South.
“We didn’t see Wike tell the party chairman to step aside because a governorship candidate emerged from same senatorial district with him.
“It becomes germane if Atiku emerges president and the party chairman remains in office. There is no law that compels Ayu to resign because the North has produced the presidential candidate, unless he decides to step aside on his own volition.
“One would have thought that having pursued the agitation without yielding results, that they would beat a retreat but if they go ahead to endorse another candidate aside the PDP presidential candidate, appropriate steps will be taken,” he stressed.
Regarding Obasanjo’s support for Peter Obi, he claimed that Obasanjo was merely exercising a constitutional right while also cautioning Nigerians against listening to him.
“You will recall that sometime ago he tore his party card and said he wants to remain a statesman. What he has done is the exercise of his constitutional rights.
“He was against Buhari in 2019 but he later won and that means that many Nigerians didn’t listen to him and that may also play out this time around,” he said.
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