…Says, no one raised objection to Party’s decision on zoning
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, who is also the Vice Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has asserted that he did not at any point in time betray anyone in the party’s presidential primary.
Okowa pointedly said that as a loyal party man, he only heeded the PDP’s decisions in every matter relating to the presidential convention of the Party.
He specifically said that it is wicked to talk about any betrayal or treachery of any sort as no agreement was reached excluding the Party’s position that prevailed for which no governor or member of the NEC of the Party opposed which led delegates at the Presidential Primary to have voted as they wished.
The PDP Vice Presidential Candidate, who stated these ate a press conference in Asaba, Delta State, addressed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Olisa Ifeajika, noted that the Southern Governors’ Forum at a meeting in Asaba, resolved and later reiterated in subsequent meetings in Lagos and Enugu, to work towards the realisation of Southern Presidency.
Okowa said however that when the Southern Governors returned to their various parties, varied decisions were arrived at by each of the political parties as they had different plans to approach the process of electing a presidential candidate.
He said that for the Governors in the PDP, the Party pointedly told them it may not go in their direction owing to the fact that it is an opposition party which led to the setting up of the Governor Samuel Ortom-led Committee on zoning.
According to Okowa; “The party set up a committee headed by Benue Governor, Samuel Ortom, to advise it appropriately on zoning of the ticket. The committee in its wisdom, recommended that zoning be jettisoned to allow all aspirants to participate in the primary for the best candidate to emerge.
“The committee presented its report to the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), where it was agreed to throw the presidential ticket open to enable for the best hands to emerge as recommended.
“As far as we are aware, no member, including the governors or group, protested the party’s decision. They all acquiesced and accepted the party’s decision on zoning,” he explained.
Okowa therefore wondered why long after the primaries, some persons were still talking about betrayal, saying; “where were the G-5 governors when the Ortom Committee presented its report? “Why didn’t they raise their voices against the party’s decision not to zone the ticket to any part and rise against it? They agreed to it, participated, only to start an agitation without foundation after a candidate had emerged”.
Okowa said that he sees the G-5 Governors agitation as a complete distraction and therefore appealed to them to sheath their sword and join the party’s rescue mission.
He further said; “They remain very senior members of PDP and they remain an important factor because the next election is a low hanging fruit for the PDP to pick if we close ranks. We believe that Nigerians would vote for the party,” he said.
Commenting on the agitation of the G-5 governors for the removal of the National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Iyorcha Ayu, Okowa explained that it was a constitutional matter which has to be addressed at the appropriate time.
According to him; “In Rivers State where Wike holds sway as Governor, the Governorship candidate iand the State Chairman of the PDP are both from Rivers South. We didn’t see Wike tell the party Chairman to step aside because a governorship candidate emerged from the same senatorial district with him.
“There is no law that compels Ayu to resign because the North has produced the Presidential candidate, unless he decides to step aside on his own volition. It becomes germane when Atiku emerges as President and the party National Chairman remains in office,” Okowa enthused.
