The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has promised to “hit back” at the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over what he described as anti-party activities.
Wike, who spoke at the PDP Etche Local Government Area (LGA) campaign rally in Rivers State on Monday, accused the National Working Committee of the party of colluding with the opposition in the state.
The disclosure comes amid a months-long feud between the G5 or Integrity Group – made up of Wike and four other PDP governors (Benue, Oyo, Abia, and Enugu) – and the PDP leadership for its alleged disregard for equity, fairness and justice.
Since the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the PDP presidential candidate in May 2022, the governors have insisted that the North cannot produce both the standard bearer and national chairman, according to the party constitution.
Speaking in a mix of English and Pidgin, Wike told party supporters in Etche LGA that trouble had come.
“Those of them in Abuja that are talking about anti-party [activities], we have caught them now. They are the ones doing their anti-party [activities],” he said.
“I have caught them now and I told them anti-party begets anti-party. You know we carried these small parties to court for failing to do what the law says – APC, SDP.
“The people in Abuja that say they are national have gone to collude with them to write our lawyer a letter that they should take their hands off, in order to kill the cases we filed.”
Wike added that despite having told the state chapter’s counsel to “remove their hands,” he has no problem with the case dying.
But the governor did not mince words about his plans to fight back.
“I will hit them back by tomorrow,” Wike said. “There is nobody that touches us that will not get a wound on his body. Anybody that says he will touch us in Rivers State, I will give him many wounds on his body – and we have started it.
“We are voting for our people here. Now [that] you have told us you are doing anti-party [activities], we’ll show you what anti-party [activity] is. We have caught them red-handed. They are the ones that started anti-party [activities].
“We didn’t do anti-party [activities]. Anyway, it has been in their blood. Now, they have shown their hands. You people should just watch from tomorrow what will happen to them.”
The former Minister of State for Education told the crowd not to cry for his political enemies, saying they are not “our people.”
“Don’t cry when armed robbers catch them because we will teach armed robbers a lesson. We will deal with armed robbers so that they will know it’s not good to steal other people’s things. That’s how we will deal with them tomorrow,” he said.
The governor also urged the party’s supporters to await the decision of Rivers PDP.
“So, Chief Emma Anyanwu, Allwell Onyesoh, Kelechi, [and the] party chairman, all of them will start work to tell you what we have agreed. Anything they say is our agreement, that is what we agreed. Heaven will not fall.
“These few days that remain, it’s a battle to the finish. If you say we won’t be there, you won’t be there either,” he said.