The Senator representing Northern Senatorial District of Cross River State in the National Assembly, Sen Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe has warned the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki to leave the State out of his current battle with Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.
According to him, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Cross River was at peace and was made formidable by Governor Ben Ayade’s decision to decamp to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The lawmaker said this in a statement he signed and made available to reporters on Monday in Calabar, in reaction to Obaseki’s claim that Wike has destroyed the party in Rivers State.
He said that Wike’s assistance, both financially and otherwise, has made the party more peaceful and formidable.
“If the governor is referring to the defection of Governor Ayade, as the ‘destruction’ of the PDP in Cross River State, then we totally disagree with him. It is rather seen as good riddance to bad rubbish,” he said.
“At some point, Governor Ayade became an albatross in our party, and when he left, there was jubilation. In fact, if Ayade left the PDP because of Wike, a fellow Governor, then it is testamentary to how clearly handicapped Ayade was in the context of being influential and committed to the Party.
“While Governor Wike supports PDP States that do not have Governors, financially, physically and otherwise, some governors are complacent, laid back and not forthcoming with any support for the party in States, like ours,” he said.
He berated Governor Obaseki, suggesting that the Edo leader was being ungrateful to Wike, adding that when the Rivers governor went supporting him to win back his seat in 2020, he went on his knees in gratitude and when he won, Wike became a bad man.
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and his Edo State counterpart, Godwin Obaseki have been engaging in a verbal battle over leadership issues, shaking the foundation of the party in Edo.
Obaseki’s Deputy, Phillip Shaibu had recently declared that they were prepared to dump the party they joined in 2019 prior to the governorship election, complaining that they have not been accepted into the fold even after two years. He said there were alternatives to the PDP.
Angered by the comments, the Rivers governor had tongue-lashed Shaibu, describing him as an ordinary Deputy governor, who doesn’t have the rights to question the party he knelt to beg two years ago. Wike called Shaibu an ingrate, vowing to make sure the Deputy governor was disciplined by the PDP leadership.
For this reason, Obaseki said that the Rivers governor had crossed the boundary and was now acting like a bully. The governor wondered how a character like Wike could lead a country like Nigeria when he could not measure his words and calm simple situations or even listen to his subjects.
Wike had since replied the Edo State governor, saying that both of them were not in the same class.
He said Obaseki was an ingrate and a serial betrayer. The Rivers leader went on to apologize to the former National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, noting that he failed to listen to Oshimhole’s warning about helping Obaseki.
