PDP crisis: Redeem your battered political image - Wike slams Lamido

PDP crisis: Wike and Lamido have been on a warpath of late as the crisis rocking the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gets messier.

Lamido's assault: The former Jigawa Governor had called Wike's bluff in a recent interview on Channels TV, where he claimed that nobody in the party wronged the Rivers governor.

Lamido added that Wike's antics were creating unwanted distractions for the party whose major focus should be on how to dislodging the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023.

Wike fires back: Reacting to the remarks, Wike, speaking through his Special Assistant on Media, Kevin Ebiri, said Lamido has lost political relevance, urging the former Jigawa Governor to focus on how to redeem his battered political image in 2023.

He also accused Lamido of cracking the wall of unity, saying those who want electoral victory for the PDP are not “dampening the morale required for political offensive”.

Wike's word: “We have observed with disgust the disdainful remarks made by the former governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido about Rivers State governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, during his recent interview on Channels television. While, we cannot deny that Alhaji Lamido has an inalienable right to his personal opinion, we wish to declare that he, however, lacks the right to malign governor Wike, whose immense contributions to the sustenance of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is not in dispute.”

“It is rather appalling that at a time when concerted efforts are being made by lovers of true democracy and the unity of the party, to resolve some inherent contradictions plaguing the PDP, Alhaji Lamido and his cohorts, who have since lost their relevance in the polity, are busy creating friction and schism

“Governor Wike has never claimed to be custodian of the over 3 million votes in Rivers State. But as the leader of the PDP and good people of Rivers State, anyone who underrates the governor’s political pedigree or dares to ignore his influence in the State and beyond, will be doing so at his own peril.

“We wish to remind Alhaji Lamido that Governor Wike has never left anyone in doubt about his capacity to sway the voters in Rivers State in a direction that benefits the people and the State, in the overall. When he speaks, Rivers people will listen, no doubt.

“Perhaps, Alhaji Lamido thinks Nigerians are suffering from selective amnesia to have forgotten in a hurry, the ignoble role he and his cohorts played between 2014 and 2015, that culminated in the defeat of the PDP in 2015 general election,” the statement read.

“Only persons plagued by schizophrenia psychosis, will ascribe any form of relevance to Alhaji Lamido, under whose leadership the PDP has woefully lost two governorship elections in Jigawa State in quick succession.

“Let it be told that in 2015, governor Wike, as an opposition candidate in Rivers State polled 1,029,102 votes to defeat the then ruling APC governorship candidate, Dakuku Peterside, who managed to garner a paltry 124,896 votes. And in 2019, the governor also won by landslide. This are marks of political sagacity and determination to keep PDP at a leading pedestal. So, as the 2023 general elections beckons, we wish to advise Alhaji Lamido to redeem his battered political image by delivering Jigawa State to the PDP, if he can.”