I stand with Wike on PDP crisis, says Fayose

A former Ekiti Governor, Ayo Fayose, has declared that he is with Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike, in his fight for justice, equity and fairness in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

ayose said those asking the PDP’s Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to call the bluff of Wike and his group were the real enemies of the party.

The former Governor called on those hanging around Atiku to allow him to win the forthcoming election advising Atiku not to allow people without substance to destroy the party.

Fayose, who spoke on Friday while inaugurating a world-class Community Secondary School, Obuama, Harry’s Town in Degema Local Government Area, built by Wike told Atiku that it was not too late to make amends and bring everybody together to win the election.

He said the Wike’s group would meet in due course and take a decision on the way forward describing the Rivers governor as the soul and lifeline of the party.

Addressing Wike, he said: “Whatever anybody says about you, posterity will be on your side. It is a matter of time. When I was a Governor of Ekiti, I honoured people when they were alive not when they were dead. You have honoured yourself by your handwork.

“Forget whatever anybody says about you. I said it before Wike, a man with a fierce look but with a good heart, a heart of will to accomplish, to love and to support. Majority of your enemies today are not against you because of anything. They are against you because they know you have capacity.

“I want to believe that Atiku Abubakar is not against you. A lot of people surrounding the throne are enemies of the throne. A lot of people surrounding the throne have one axe to grind with somebody and they take it to where they are not supposed to take it.

“There is no living being in this party or outside that will not acknowledge your contributions to this party. You are the soul of this party. Even till now what you do how many people do it?

“There was a time in this party when I was a sitting governor, I was a nightmare to the APC and the Buhari’s government. That time when you woke up you would see Fayose. But today when you open television, you will see Wike. As your senior brother I was a lion that time. Your good works will never go unrewarded.“The people that had benefitted from you are the people that pull you down. When sitting governors were defecting, we stood the test of time. We never for one day looked at the eyes of the APC. The good man in the history of the Bible is always the enemy of the people who don’t like the truth. Continue to do your best. Don’t give up”.

Fayose expressed optimism that the party would do the needful and bring everybody together insisting that the ultimate objective should be to win the next electionHe recalled their encounter with Atiku when he visited Wike after winning the party’s ticket saying he advised him on fairness and inclusiveness.

Fayose said: “I believe this party will come together. I believe the needful will be done because winning an election is all that matters. Wike hasn’t come out to say Atiku Abubakar is not the presidential candidate. He is.

“I was there the second day after the election when our candidate visited the residence of Wike. We had mutual conversation. We were all happy and everything was in place to move forward. I spoke at that meeting. We don’t want to aggravate the situation. I am only appealing to people that matter. In every political party there will be groupings, same family with different interests.

“We can do better than we are doing. People around the corridor of power, allow this candidate to win election. They say Fayose is now Tinubu’s man. When people were defecting, I never did. Loosing Ekiti election, if I go into that now you will know the source but it is not important because we must put things behind us and move forward.

“Some people believe that they have to destroy their leader before they can rise. If you are destroying any leader, you can’t rise. Wike is not a saint neither am I one. Don’t expect perfection from me. We will not want to come to Rivers here and tell Wike what he wants to hear. We will speak our mind.

“I remember I say something the day the candidate visited Governor Wike. I told him the knife is in your hand, the yam is in your hand. Cut it in a way that it will be edible. It is still not late. We can still achieve cohesion. We can still stay together and win this election. Use the knife to cut the yam and make it edible.

“Don’t let people come to you and tell you that ‘these do not matter, leave them with their local politics’. You are the man that wants to lead us. God will give you wisdom to rally everybody. My own son is a candidate in the party. He is a PDP candidate. Do I wish my son to fail? No. George Fayose is my son. With the last drop of my blood, I will stand by him.

“I came out to say it is the turn of the south, that is the position of that group at the time. I want to say to you that everybody has a way to ventilate their anger. It is not enough to allow people who do not have substance to come and destroy the party that God has given you as a candidate.

“Wike is not saying he is the vice-presidential candidate and he is not looking for it. It is important that winning this election is the ultimate, let us win together. I believe in due course, this group will meet and all their intention is let us win together.

Fayose, who hailed Wike for his generosity called on the leaders of the PDP to do more to unify the party.He said: “Many people have resources they can’t spend it because they are not givers. It is not because you (Wike) has the resources but because you have the spirit to give, the spirit to support.

“You have been the lifeline of this party and anybody wishing you away is an enemy of this party. I appeal to Atiku and those in the corridor of power, let us do more to unify the party. I am with Wike. Wike is in PDP, I am in PDP”.

Wike, who for the first time since he commenced the commissioning and inauguration refused to speak on the PDP crisis, said the deplorable condition of the school was brought to his attention his Deputy Governor.

He asked the Commissioner for Special Duties to design hostels and dinning halls for the students of the school.Wike said his administration in the past two weeks had been showcasing its strides in the educational sector adding that the government would soon begin to show it’s achievements in the health sector.

He said: “If you look at the pictures, the school was in a terrible situation. We have been able to put in our best to make it a proper secondary school that our children will not only have access to education but will also have quality education.

“All through this week, we have been busy to let people know what we are doing in the education sector. We also go back to the health sector to let the state see what we have done in the health sector. For me it is touching all round the sectors because no one sector could be said to be more important.

“But ideally while we are trying to do more of the roads is because they attract more development. If there are no roads people will not build houses. I was surprised when I was told the school doesn’t have hostels. I direct the minister of projects to design hostel accommodation for the boys and the girls. There will also be a dinning hall”.

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