Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State says another Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governor is planning to join Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, in the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Wike said this on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ programme on Wednesday.
The governor said, “I can tell you there is one PDP governor that will leave. He is not leaving because of anything but he will come up with an excuse.
“The point is that these are the people who have been playing anti-party, who have been romancing with the APC in the night and coming to the PDP in the daytime. My problem with our party is that when you speak the truth, they will want to crucify you. I have raised this issue several times.”
When asked to reveal the identity of the PDP governor planning to defect, Wike said, “I won’t tell you that. But you journalists know.”
The Rivers State governor said Umahi, who recently defected to the APC had always been disloyal to the PDP.
He stated that during a particular virtual meeting of PDP governors, Umahi boasted that he helped the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to garner votes in the 2019 presidential election.
The Rivers governor added, “All of us are aware that Governor Umahi has been romancing with APC for long. We had a virtual meeting of PDP governors. I have never seen that in my life.
“Governor Umahi in that meeting, to the surprise of many governors, said ‘there is nothing anybody can do to stop me’. I promised President Buhari I would give him 35 per cent votes’.
“I never knew that people never voted in Ebonyi; that votes were allocated and Governor Umahi determined who gets what percentage.”
Wike reiterated his position that Umahi left because he wanted to be President and not because the PDP marginalised the South-East as he claimed.
He said the PDP gave the South-East key positions while it was in power, including the Senate Presidency and the Chief of Army Staff which it had never had before.
The governor said the PDP also nominated Peter Obi from the South-East as its Vice-Presidential candidate in 2019 but the APC had not even come close to such.
When asked if he would be running alongside Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, for the Presidency in 2023, he responded, “Am I not a human being? Am I not supposed to have ambition? I am a human being.”
