OYO State governor Seyi Makinde has said the camp of Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike, to which he belongs, will continue to fight for its space in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) even though it lost at the party’s presidential primary in June.
Makinde made the declaration at a project commissioning ceremony in Rivers State on Wednesday.
While speaking about the outcome of the PDP presidential primaries, he said his camp lost the battle while standing for the truth.
“Even the fight that we lost, we did not lose with our heads bowed,” he said.
“We lost knowing that we stood for the truth and we stood for what is good for this country.
“What I will say to you (Wike) is Aluta continua. We will continue to fight for our space within the PDP and we will continue to ensure that what is right for our people is given to our people.”
Makinde’s comments is coming amid concerted efforts by various stakeholders in the PDP to resolve the festering crisis that followed the party’s presidential primary, where Wike lost to Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar in a fiercely contested election.
After the primary, Atiku picked Delta State governor Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election against the recommendation of a committee chaired by Benue governor, Ortom.
The Ortom-led committee reportedly recommended Wike as the PDP vice presidential candidate.
The development has led to a crisis in the PDP.
Wike is yet to throw his weight behind Atiku’s presidential ambition, and there are concerns that he may work against the PDP candidate in 2023.
The Rivers governor and camp have been seen in meetings both within and outside the country with the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi and the All Progressives Congress flagbearer Bola Tinubu.
Last week, the PDP crisis took a new dimension after the party’s national chairman Iyorchia Ayu described Wike and his camp as children.
The former Senate President vowed not to allow anyone to destroy the party under his leadership.
Reacting to Ayu’s comments, Wike vowed his group would ensure that the PDP does not win next year’s presidential election.
Yesterday, at a project commissioning in Port Harcourt, Wike said that the Rivers people would no longer be used and dumped by PDP.
He said that the state did not get any meaningful intervention from previous PDP-led Federal Governments despite standing by the party since the country returned to democratic rule in 1999.
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