Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, a prominent member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has criticized Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, for allegedly misleading the public regarding the zoning of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential ticket for 2023.
Wike recently claimed that certain influential figures, including Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, swayed the PDP’s decision to allocate the presidential ticket to the North, which he argues contradicts the party’s rotational zoning policy.
In response, Eze labeled Wike’s statements as “outright lies straight from the depths of hell,” asserting the need to clarify the situation.
Eze contended that it was Wike himself who urged the PDP to open its 2023 presidential primaries rather than the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar or Governor Bala Mohammed, as Wike had insinuated.
During a recent interview, Wike defended his stance, declaring, “We have always done it North and South,” and criticized the PDP for breaching an “unspoken agreement” regarding zoning.
Eze accused Wike of attempting to dismantle the PDP in order to maintain his questionable alliance with President Bola Tinubu.
In his statement made on Monday, Eze remarked, “Wike seems to have forgotten that rational Nigerians will question how the PDP’s zoning policy was compromised,” noting that Wike neglected to mention his authoritarian approach and personal ambition, which contributed to the breakdown of the party’s zoning policy in 2022.
“It is regrettable that those claiming Wike is correct on PDP zoning are blinded by their financial ties to the former Rivers State Governor,” he added.
Eze clarified that Atiku Abubakar did not oppose zoning the PDP presidential ticket to the South, but rather suggested that if it were to be zoned, it should specifically go to the South-East.
He pointed out that with Peter Obi still in the PDP and Atiku having made his preferred choice known in the South-East, Wike became anxious and began attacking Obi.
“Consumed by his overwhelming ambition to secure the PDP presidential nomination, Wike surrounded himself with sycophants, forming the so-called G-5 group to push for the presidential slot to be opened to all candidates,” Eze explained.
He further elaborated that this group, influenced by Wike’s agenda, resisted Atiku’s proposal to zone the presidency to the South-East, resulting in the decision to open the primaries to all contenders.
As Wike prepared for his bid for the 2023 PDP presidential nomination, he became increasingly aggressive, making grandiose claims about his chances and disparaging Atiku and others.
“It’s important to note that Peter Obi did not inform Atiku of his intention to leave the PDP until he had already joined the Labour Party,” Eze stated.
He also remarked that Wike entered the PDP presidential primaries with misguided confidence, believing he could easily defeat Atiku, a notion that proved to be a miscalculation in the realms of party and national politics.
“Wike has yet to recover from the political blow and emotional fallout of challenging Atiku, not realizing the depth of Atiku’s political acumen,” Eze commented.
After suffering a significant defeat in the PDP presidential primaries and failing to secure the vice presidential candidate position, Wike, along with his G-5 group, aimed to sabotage the PDP’s chances in the 2023 elections, leading to the party’s downfall.
