Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has called on the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to immediately suspend former Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu.
The Rivers governor stated that Babangida should be suspended for working against re-election of former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.
Recall that Naija News reported that Aliyu while reacting to his suspension by the PDP in Chachanga Local Government Area of Niger, said the North would have lost out completely if Jonathan got reelected.
Aliyu who was the chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum said after northern governors supported Jonathan to complete the tenure of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, the former president was still allowed to contest in 2011.
He said PDP governors in northern states opposed Jonathan’s bid for a second term because he reneged on their agreement not to seek another tenure.
“Since this was against the grain of our earlier agreement in the party, and which we the governors in the north felt the North would have been shortchanged if Jonathan had succeeded, we rose stoutly to insist on the agreement we all had,” he had said.
Reacting, Wike stated that, “If I was the leadership of the party I would have suspended Aliyu for that comment he made. But, you see, nothing will happen. The National Working Committee will not do anything. Why? They need Aliyu to support them.
“I cannot understand why you are a leader, so to speak, you come out and tell the world why you fought your party. I have never seen a thing like that in my life.
“If I was the leader of the party, I would have suspended Aliyu and heaven will not fall. What does he want to achieve? This was 2015, we have done the 2019 election. Jonathan had lost in 2015, why do you come out now to say how you fought him. Look at where we are today. So, you are telling us you made us be in this position where we are.
“You are telling Nigerians that you are one of those who kept Nigeria in this state? And then the National Working Committee will not do anything because Aliyu Babangida is one of the untouchables?”
Wike stated that as a leading opposition party in Nigeria, the PDP could not afford to accept acts of gross indiscipline and impunity, because it might undermine its chances to wrest power from the APC in 2023.
He said it was heart-breaking to hear that while himself and others were campaigning for the PDP to win the 2015 general elections, the likes of Aliyu who ran for the Senate in the same general election, had hatched and executed a scheme to undermine the party.
“I sat back here as State governor, I suffered, I struggled and campaigned for my State to produce the highest vote for PDP and somebody sat somewhere and he is boasting how they fought Jonathan and you want me to be happy? You have even insulted the people of the South-South,” he added.