PDP governors are the ones giving the party headaches, says Nnaji

A lawyer and former national auditor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), leader Ray Nnaji, spoke with LAWRENCE NJOKU about the evolution of the party and the reported support of Senator Chimaroke Nnamani in the presidential election of the All Progressives Congress (APC). candidate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the general elections of 2023.

… Nnamani's support for APC, still speculation

How do you see developments at the national level in your party where some governors led by Nyesom Wike are up in arms against the national president? Wike is a governor I cherish. I like the way it behaves but not recently. When you exaggerate certain things, you start getting negative reactions even among the people who love you. Wike is supposed to know when to apply the brakes, after making his position known. He did a lot for the party, we agree, but there are certain decisions he made to imply that he did certain things out of personal interest. These include the appointment of Ali Modu Sherif, which it took for the Supreme Court to impeach him; after that he brought Secondus whom he single-handedly abducted when he fell out with him. His friend, Governor Ugwuanyi was the chairman of the committee set up by the party to determine where the national president's zoning should go. They ended up presenting the report that the National President should go to the North. Wike was there and Ugwuanyi happens to be his close friend. They did not protest. The North has now rallied and given it to Iyorchia Ayu. Wike celebrated it. Then, the question of where the party should choose its presidential candidate arose. Party Section 7 Subsection 3 (c) has been highlighted.

Another friend of his, Samuel Ortom, was the chairman of the committee set up to determine whether the zoning should be maintained or opened. Unanimously they came out and said it should be open, Wike didn't protest. Peter Obi was then in the race and he went to Anambra to say that Obi was wasting his time and they frustrated him out of the race. At the end of the day, they got into an open contest and he (Wike) lost; he now remembered what Ayu had promised him. It is not fair. If Ayu is to be removed, he must follow the constitutional procedure, otherwise you create more problems. Yet these people know all this and follow it. There are some who pretend and these are people that the party has created. It's very unfortunate. It is sad that some people want to tear down the roof of the house because of the party primary. If anything happens to the PDP, everyone will be in trouble. They should go and settle this matter and face the election. Going to the media to talk anyway won't solve the problem.

I remember Atiku said if they zoned the presidency to the southeast, he wouldn't contest. But Wike never once mentioned that it was Southeast's turn. By the way, my governor is following him. He follows it until today with Okezie Ikpeazu, when he never said a single day that the Southeast had not tasted this thing; that we have been deceived. He couldn't stand the fact that it was the Southeast's turn, and my governor sheepishly follows him. Ugwuanyi was part of that committee that launched the contest and he never stepped down when that decision was made. Even Seyi Makinde never said the Southeast was deceived and my governor is still following them. I don't understand it. So let them come in and talk about it. The primary was won and lost and we won't have another until the next election.

How comfortable are you with Senator Chimaroke Nnamani's support for APC presidential candidate Bola Tinubu versus his own PDP candidate? I faced this question earlier than now in a different form. My attention was drawn to this when he was listed as one of Bola Tinubu's campaign council members. Before that there was a post he made on the back page of Sun newspaper where he praised Bola Tinubu but towards the end of the article he gave credit to the fact that he still remains member of the PDP and that he supported Atiku Abubakar. I actually tried to debunk this before speaking with him when I said the inclusion was a mistake due to the fact that before I put someone's name anywhere the person has to be there have consented. I started to think maybe he didn't consent to it based on the fact that he was friends with Tinubu; they may have decided to put his name. But I actually expected him to rebut, but he didn't. This raised several posers as to whether he was committing an anti-party act, was a PDP senator, and was working for an APC candidate.

I can say it's too early to tell. The fact remains that the APC has not yet inaugurated its campaign council and that is...